Crimson Petal
by TrigunTri
Summary: Lily Marshall was a normal girl want to become a State Alchemist and ends up with Roy Mustang's team. But how can she do alchemy without a transmutation circle? And why are the Homunculis after her?
1. Prologue

Author's note: If you know me from my HP fan fiction called 'The Governess and The Serpant', you should know, I have not given it up yet. It has so much potential! I'm just taking a break for a bit.

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Full Metal Alchemist, even I wish too. Why did Hughes had to die!

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A cloaked woman ran through a plain wheat field in the cover of night. She was panting, sweat covered her face as she looked back to see if anyone was following her. She stumbled over the harsh ground, she couldn't fail now, she must run and find shelter. She wouldn't let them get the thing she held in her, even if it killed her. She was scared when she heard loud roars and growls of beast from behind her. She began to run faster, scared out of her wits. She was happy to see a dense forest up ahead, it should give her cover for the time being. 

She ran into the thick forest, not caring if the misplaced branches scratched her face, it didn't matter now. As long as she found shelter and protection, she would be safe. She saw an outline of a village up ahead, a few hundred feet away. Perfect. But, she was too caught up of finding peace for once she failed to notice a tree root sticking out of the ground. Her foot caught in it and she fell onto the dirt ground. She tried to get up but her foot won't budge. Fresh tears rolled down her face, thinking this was all over. She turned her head when she heard roars of animals from before, she screamed when three inhuman beasts came out of nowhere and jumped in the air and pounced on her. She screamed in pain as they ripped through her skin and muscles.

_'Please..anyone...help'_

A blue lightening like glow traveled the ground and hit one of the animals off of the woman's back, sending it to the ground, it's body smoking. The other two stopped and looked at their fallen comrade and forward again when they heard foot steps coming their way. A man, near the age of forty came out of the darkness. His brown bangs fell over his eyes as he glared at the two animals. They whimpered and took off in the opposite direction, not willing to sacrifice their lives. The man looked at the fallen woman and ran to her side. She was badly injured, her back covered in blood. He lifted her in his arms and was surprised to see her pregnant belly with a huge gash over it. He needed to get this woman to a hospital and quick.

"Miss, are you alright? Can you move at all?"he asked softly

"Are they gone?"she asked

He looked at the dead chimera,"Yeah, I killed one of them and the other two ran off. Miss, we need to get you to a hospital or else both you and your unborn child will both die."he said

"What is your name?"she asked suddenly, ignoring his last statement.

"Uhh...Viktor Marshall. But it does not matter right now, we must get you some medical treatment before it's too late!"Viktor exclaimed

She nodded and Viktor picked her from the ground the best he could and ran back towards his village, not caring if blood spilled over his hands. He ran towards the nearest house and pounded at it. An elderly woman answer the call and blinked at Viktor.

"Viktor, what's going on? Who is this woman?"she asked

"It does not matter now, her and her child will die if we don't get help."Viktor breathed.

She nodded and let them in and showed them the closet bed room. Viktor laid the strange woman on the bed and took off her cloak, her blond hair sticking to her forehead. The older woman excused herself, saying she was going off to find the town's doctor. Viktor stayed behind and made sure the woman was safe. He sat down on the chair in the room, watching over her. She turned her head and saw a silver chain sticking out of Viktor's pocket, already knowing what it was connected to.

"Are you a State Alchemist, Mr. Marshall?"she asked

"Yes,"he said, surprise she knew that,"but I retired a few years ago."Viktor said pulling out his old pocket watch.

"Good, then I know you can protect my child after I'm gone."she whispered, her eyes closing

"No!"he ran to her side and shook her form,"Don't you dare die on me now!"he yelled

Viktor turned his head when the a younger man walked in, a doctor's bag at his side.

"Mark, you have to hurry, the woman is dying!"yelled Viktor

"Alright,"he nodded and began to take out his supplies.

"She is about eight months pregnant and it seemed her water has already broke a few hours ago. It's only to be difficult to operate."he said a few minutes after checking over her.

"Maggy, get me some towels and hot water."Mark said.

The elderly woman nodded and took off only to return a few minutes with a pile of towels and a bucket full of steamy, hot water. She set them near the bed. Mark pulled on some elastic gloves and Maggy put a blanket over the woman lower regions as Mark peeled off her bottoms to operate. He saw a bubble of head in her private area. Mark looked up and stared at Viktor.

"What the hell happen to her? Blood on her back and stomach."he asked

"Chimeras, three of them. I took care of them before they could continue on."he said

"Chirmeras? Why would they be here?

"Does it matter if she got attack by monkeys? Just do your job!"Viktor yelled

"Right,"he nodded, fearing Viktor and went back to work.

"Maggy, get the towels ready!"Mark called out a few minutes more. She nodded and laid the towels under the bed, for catching any blood.

Mark had a hard time trying to get the baby out with the woman not conscious to push. He sighed in relief when he had the baby's head out, he pulled on it and ease the body out, inch by inch. When the baby was out, he was startled when the baby would not cry, signaling it was alive.

"What's wrong?"asked Maggy

"The baby...it's dead."he whispered

The body of the baby laid in the doctor's hands, the skin was pale, almost gray, besides the blood. Mark grabbed a towel and wiped the baby free of blood. His eyes bulge when he saw a symbol drawn on it's chest, it was a weird design, strange to see on a baby or anyone live human being.

"Viktor, what do you think this is?"he asked to the older man.

Viktor blinked and grabbed the lifeless body and stared at the mark.

"It's a transmutation circle..."he said, knowing what it was from experience.

Everyone jumped when the mark began to glow red and filled the entire room, nearly blinding everyone. When it faded, they were surprise to hear cries from the small form in Viktor's hands. The skin flushed with life, the blond hair on top curled, and diamond blue eyes full of life. The once dead child was alive by some sort of miracle. Mark went over and looked at the crying baby and grabbed large pair of scissors and cut theumbilical cord from the belly.

"It's...It's a girl."he said, looking at the small child.

"B-but how is it alive?"asked Maggy from the corner.

"I don't know, but by some miracle, she's alive and well."Mark answered

Mark handed the young child to Maggy to get cleaned up. Viktor went over to the new mother and shook her form.

"Wake up, your baby girl is alive and well."he said

She didn't wake up and her skin was icy to the touch. She was dead. He pulled over the sheet over her head, sighing.

"She...she is dead. She didn't see her own child being born."he said, almost to the brink of tears.

He felt a hand placed on his shoulder,"But she died and saved her child's from having the same fate."said Mark

Maggy came up to Viktor, and handed the infant in his arms, now covered in a warmth cloth.

"What do you want to name her?" she asked

He thought for a second before answering, "Lillian. Lillian Anne Marshall."

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Please review, it would make me very happy! ) 


	2. Heading Out

Disclamier: I own nothing of Full Metal Alchemist, I only own Lily and a few handful of characters

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_Twenty Years Later_

Two pairs of clear blue eyes shot up, staring at the ceiling lights in the room. The owner of the eyes shifted and sat up in the bed it was currently resting in. The figure shook it's head and blinked a few times, trying to get use to the light. The figure sighed as it stared at a mirror, seeing hair mangled up from the night before. The figure was a woman, a woman of twenty with long blonde hair that almost reached her below her shoulder blades. She turn her head when she saw her bedroom door opening and walked in an older gentleman with brown hair and some gray roots. He stared at the young woman, his bushy eyebrow raised.

"Lily, are you alright? I heard you moving about in your bed last night."he said with concern

"I'm alright, Viktor, just a bad dream. I really can't remember much, all I do remember is a bright red glow and that's it."Lily said, shaking it off and getting up from the bed

"Rather or not if you remember all of it, it still is important."said Viktor, leaning against the doorway.

"Well, get dress and get some food in your or else you will miss the train."he added

"Oh, no! It's today, I completely forgot!"exclaimed Lily, cursing herself as she search in the drawers for cloths to pack.

Viktor chuckled,"I knew this would happen so I packed all of your cloths last night when you were asleep. There is some cloths in the bathroom for today."he said

Lily sighed in relief and hugged the older man.

"I don't know what I would do without you, Viktor."she smiled

Viktor gently pushed Lily off of him, a small smile on his face."Now go get dress and get some food in you, now."

Lily nodded and rushed pass him and headed straight to the bathroom, taking a quick shower before hoping out before the hot water turned cold. She wrapped a towel around herself as she dried her hair with another one. She smiled as she looked at herself in the mirror. From this point on, her once normal life was going to change. She was going to become a State Alchemist! Or at least try to be.

Lillian Marshall, or known to some as Lily, lived with her father-figure and teacher, Viktor Marshall in a small town called Raislen. Sure, Lily shared the same last name as Viktor, even as mush he tried to push her to call him her father when she was younger, she stilled called him by his given name, or just seem strange to call him that. She knew from when she could speak, he wasn't her real father but was one to her. When she that he was a State Alchemist when he was younger, known as the Earth Alchemist, she urge him to teach her about alchemy, and after many times of asking him, he finally caved in and taught her. For the past ten years, she had been training to be a State Alchemist like Viktor when she was older.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when Viktor pounded on the door, letting her know it was time to go. She quickly got dress and put her still wet hair in a pony tail before rushing out of the door, almost knocking down Viktor. She was almost out of the door when she heard someone clearing their throat, she turned and blushed out of embarrassment as she saw Viktor holding up a bag full of food and suitcases at his feet. She quickly grabbed the small paper bag and headed out of the door, with Viktor right behind her, suitcases at hand. He was strong for a man going on sixty.

They walked through Raislen until they reached the small train platform, Lily was surprised to see almost everyone from town there to wish her off. As she stepped onto the platform, she was nearly knocked off by a figure of color. She looked at the figure that was hugging her a little too tightly. She pushed the figure off of her and was face to face with her best friend, Mary Lucas, the raven hair beauty of the town. She had tears rolling down from her green eyes.

"Please, please, don't go Lily!"she cried

"Yeah, please don't go, we are begging you."A rather handsome blond haired man walked up and wrapped a arm around Mary, his name was Leo Curve.

She sighed at the two as Leo gave Mary a small handkerchief. These two were her best friends in the world, they became instant friends when both Leo and Lily saved Mary from a wild boar when they were around six. As they grew up, the more weird they got. Both Mary and Leo had one of the strangest, yet put up, club ever! It was...The Roy Mustang Fan Club. After a visit to Central when they were teenagers, and when Mary saw the legendry Flame Alchemist, she instantly fell in love with him, yes even Leo too, kiddies. After much begging and annoying her, Lily finally join their club, in name only. She just didn't know what was about him that was remotely interesting.

"Relax you guys, I promise to come visit once I get settle in Central,"said Lily, putting her carry on bag on her shoulder.

"And can we visit you there, too?"asked Mary, beaming with exciting

"Sure..."

"YAY!"she yelled, jumping and wrapping her arms around Lily, unknown to her, she slipped something into her bag.

Mary let go when the loud sound of a train pulling into a stop. Lily smiled as she grabbed the handle for her suitcase before turning towards Viktor who was watching her and her friends with interested.

"Viktor, I will miss you a lot, I will see you soon"she smiled and turn to go before Viktor placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What?"

"Here,"he handed her a small box.

She looked at him in question before opening the box and was shock to see a small, silver key against red plush. She picked it up and looked at the older man.

"It's a key, for your house in Central."he said calmly

"B-but..."

"I pulled some strings and I got you a house, I can't have the best student I have had live in a small and crappy apartment. And if you don't pass the exams, you can always live there until they come up again."Viktor said

Lily threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight.

"Please visit as long as you want."she said before releasing.

"I will. Now, go, before the train leaves you behind."he said sternly.

Lily nodded and gave her friends quick hugs good bye before picking up her carry on luggage as some train personal got the rest. She board the train and hanged onto the bar as the train became to move, she waved at everyone before quickly going inside. She walked through the train until she reached the last cart which was almost empty expect for a few passengers. Lily walked steady towards a empty place and took the window seat and looked out of the window as her town speed by her. She sighed in relief and relaxed into the seat. She placed her bag on the seat next to her and looked around for her bag of food before her eyes spotted a colorful wrapped gift she didn't notice before. She grabbed it and took off the paper and loose photo fell out onto the ground, she looked at it first and saw it was a group photo of her, Mary, and Leo. She picked it up and looked on the back where neat hand writing of Mary's was place there. It read:

_'We will miss you a whole lot, my little flower (Leo made me write that) and make sure you invite us over sometime or else. You can say I left you a farewell gift along with this photo, the gift was mostly Viktor's idea but a good one at that. I hope to see you soon, signed Mary. _

_THE ROY MUSTANG FAN CLUB WILL FOREVER LIVE!'_

Lily laughed at the last thing that was written. She place the photo back into the bag before looking at her gift. It was a leather bound book with the words 'Dream Journal' written in gold. She smiled as she flipped through the blank pages. Viktor was the only person she knew that was always ready to listen to people's dreams and try to find out their meanings. He had urge Lily to make a dream journal since she could remember. For out the years, many books were filled, full of dreams from the weirdest dreams involving people turning into rabbits to dreams filled with mystery that had an huge effect on herself the morning after. She reached into her bag and pulled out a pen and began to write in the first page of her book, telling the brief dream she had earlier.

An hour later, Lily was reading from a book on alchemy when the train stopped and two figures stepped onto the train. Lily was too busy reading in her book to really notice their faces. She groaned and placed a hand on her forehead as she felt like someone was driving a metal spike through her temple. She jumped when one of the train's attendant came around the corner of her seat.

"Are you ok, madam? You look pale." she said

"No, no, I'm alright. But, can I have a glass of water and some Aspirin?" Lily asked politely

"Sure,"the attendant said before walking to get the items.

Lily sighed and leaned her pounding head against the cold feeling window, staring into space, wondering what could have made her feel so sick. After the attendant gave her what she needed, she quickly ate her small breakfast. She rested her head back against the seat and let sleep come over her, unaware of two pairs of eyes watching her.

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Author Notes: Hehe, I like the idea of a Roy Mustang fan club, it's cute. And who is watching our little flower child? (lol).

Please review, thanks!


	3. Weird Dreams and Weird Neighbors

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Full Metal Alchemist, happy now folks?

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Lily was awoken when the train rocked back and forth, pulling into a stop. She yawned and stretched out her arms above her head, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes as the other passengers were startled by the train stopping. She looked outside the window and saw they were in a train station, hundreds of people moving about to get on or leaving a train.

"Welcome to Central, we hope you enjoy your ride, please come back again."said a voice over the intercom.

Lily stood up, grabbing her bag, and following the line of passengers out of the train. She jumped down from the train and onto the platform. She smiled as she looked around the train station, it was a lot bigger then her's back at home, it was Central after all. She began to move between the crowd, making sure she didn't hit anyone on the way to the main building. After asking some of the locals, Lily finally found the baggage claim, to get her bags and get out this crazy mad house called a train station. She walked up to the front desk where two women, one busy helping out another person, dressed in the same clothing. The petite woman was busy looking over a few documents before she notice Lily.

"May I help you, miss?"she asked

"Yes, I would like to pick up the bags of Lily Marshall, please."Lily said

"What train?"

"Uh...from Raislen."she answered

"A moment please."the woman picked up a small phone on the counter and waited it to ring.

"Could you wait over there?"she pointed to sitting area,"Someone will come around soon enough."

Lily nodded and walked away, she leaned her back against a stone pillar, waiting. Soon enough, a man with the same type of uniforms like the woman she meet before handed her suitcases before walking off to get the rest to the other passengers. Lily picked them by the handle and walked out of the train station and outside, the sun's rays shining down on her. She dropped her suitcases a moment as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the box that held the key to her new house. She took out the silvery key, starring at it.

"It would be helpful if you told me where the house was, Viktor."she said out loud

She looked down at the box, when she was going to put the key away, she saw a small piece of paper sticking out of the bottom. She pulled on until it was release and there in her hand was directions to her house from the train station, written in Viktor's handwriting.

"Great, now I feel stupid."she said, groaning at her own stupidity.

After getting through others, she finally hailed a cab, the driver helped her put her bags in the back and got in, telling the driver where she was heading to. Lily leaned back in her seat and glanced outside at the grand city of Central past by her. Many buildings around, bigger then anything she can imaged, a few shops and stores scattered around the area, and a few apartments too. It was sure different then Raislen. The only really big buildings there was their church and their school. Even if she was here a few years ago, it seem to change a great deal.

"We are here, miss."called the cab driver

Lily nodded and got out of the car and outside. She glanced up at the building in front of her, it was huge! This couldn't be where this is living, or could it? She didn't know how much 'strings' Viktor pulled. She pulled out the slipped of paper from her pocket and looked closer at the directions. She flipped the paper over and was surprised to see more writing on the back.

_'Relax, it's just an apartment building.'_

It would seem weird to a normal person to see all their answers on a slip of paper, like it read their mind, but this is Viktor we are talking about. Amy shook her head, smiling at how Viktor seemed to know what she was going to do. She was pulled out of her thoughts when the cab driver asked her to pay for the trip, she reached into her bag and gave the man the correct change and a tip. He thanked her and went off to get other customers, leaving her outside of her new house. She picked up the handles of her suitcases and walked up to the door that lead her inside. She placed the key in and turn the door and walked in. Lily looked over the first room she saw. It was big, a lot then she expected. There was a kitchen off to the side, a couple of doors off to the side that probably lead to the bedroom, bathroom, and another unnamed room. She placed the suitcases down on the floor, shutting the door and walked in further.

The living room, as you would call it, had a couch in the middle and a love seat off to the side which a small book case and end table were at either side. The kitchen had a small table, along with a few chairs. The empty space left could be used up when some of her stuff from home came here, this was just temporary. Lily walked towards the bedroom door, walking in, she saw a small bed, a dresser, and a desk in front of the window in the room. She placed the suitcases by the dresser, waiting to be unpacked. Lily yawned loudly, water leaked of her eyes out by intensity of the yawn itself.

"I must be more tired then I realized,"she said, she glanced at the bed,"Well, now is a good time to break this baby in."

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She stood in the middle of what looked to be in between of a battlefield and a village. It looked strangely familiar, even half of the buildings were nearly destroyed. There was no signs of life for miles it seemed. She walked forward, careful not to trip on the fallen debris on the ground. Her feet made no sound as they landed on the stone ground. She felt a cold chill go down her spine as she neared the center of town, where almost everything, down to the last plant was destroyed or on fire. She stopped dead cold as she saw a dark figure, it's back turn from her, a long sword covered in blood at it's side. She gasped as she saw the figure's latest victim. A body of a young woman laid on the ground, her dark hair spilled over her pale face, hiding some of her face, but she knew who she was. The woman laid in a pool of her own blood, the unnamed figure didn't care if the blood went on it's feet.

"No...Mary..."she whispered softly.

The figure notice her presence once she spoke. It turn it's head slowly, soon facing her. Blood red eyes looked into her diamond blue ones...

"This is your fate, you will never change it."  
--

Lily bolted straight in her bed, her hand clutching the bed sheet to her rapid beating chest. She glanced around wildly, making sure she was where she was suppose to be, expect for the that...place. She nearly jumped out of bed when she heard someone knocking on her front door. She stood on the floor on shaky legs and pulled on her pants she had taken off before her sleep. She ran a hand through her hair and walked towards the front door, she stumped her foot on the end of the couch on the way. She pulled the door open and stood face to face with a woman, no older then her, at the other end. She had a short mousy brown hair, dark green eyes hidden black rimmed glasses, and she was at least a few inch's shorter then Lily.

"Uh...may I help you?"asked Lily, straightening up her messy hair the best she could.

"Oh, hi, I'm Sheska, your new neighbor."she said, waving.

"Neighbor? I didn't know any one else was living here or would welcome me. I'm Lillian Anne Marshall, but you can just call me Lily for short."she said

There was silence between the two, Lily was the first one to speak.

"You can come in for some tea, I guess. You know, so I can get to know something about the people I'm living with."she afford

"Sure, I would love to."Sheska said, smiling.  
-----

"So, Sheska, what kind of job do you have?"asked Lily as she prepared tea over the stove.

"I'm sort of unemployed really,"she answered from the table.

"Oh? What was it before that happen?"

"I was a librarian at the Central Library before it burn down."

"I heard about that, they said it was a gas leak. Sorry for your lose. Well that was kind of cool. Here you go,"Lily handed her cup of tea before sitting across from her

with her own cup.

"You said your last name is Marshall, right? By any chance are you related to the famed 'Earth Alchemist' Viktor Marshall?"asked Sheska

Lily laughed,"You will be surprise how many people ask me that. But no, we are not related, not even by blood. He was the one that took me in when my mom died in an accident. Sadly, I never knew her or what she looked like, but Viktor tells me that I look just like her. Viktor is the one who taught me all he knows about Alchemy and I want to follow in his foot steps and become a State Alchemist."

"Your taking the Alchemy Exams next week? Do you think your ready for that?"the brown woman asked

"Maybe, but I have a good feeling that I'm going to pass, but if I don't I will try next time until I get it."Lily said

Sheska looked around the kitchen until she spotted something out of the ordinary, a button.

"What's that?"she pointed at it.

"Oh, that, well, it's just a simple button that a friend gave to me."she said, trying to reach for it.

Sheska got to it first and held it in her hand. She nearly fell back into her seat what she saw on it.

"'The Roy Mustang Fan Club'!"she exclaimed

Lily sighed, taking the button from her, she looked at the cartoon drawing of Roy Mustang with little hearts all around his head, a smile on his face. She quickly place it in her pocket.

"Yes, 'The Roy Mustang Fan Club'. It's something my friends made up when we were young."she explained

"But why a fan club of...him?"

"Exactly, I have no idea either. Nothing about him is remotely interesting, he isn't cute at all!"Lily said

"You must have weird friends, Lily."

"Yeah, tell me about it. If they meet him face to face, they would probably explode with excitement."she muttered

Sheska laughed into her cup, almost choking on it's contents. Lily laughed along with her.

"Hey, Sheska,"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for welcoming me into the neighborhood." Lily smiled.

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Author Notes: It's not much of a chapter like the others, but I'm just getting Lily into the big city. Boy, her dream was weird as all hell. Town in ruins, people dead, Mary dead, and a warning of some sorts. But, that's just the tip of the iceburg, loves! And yes, beautifly92, this is a Roy/Lily story, at least it will be. This isn't going to be love at first sight, too cheesy and used up. Next chapter has Lily in the Exams, yahoo! Will she make it? Or will she fail and wait for the next time? You have to wait 'till next chapter to see.

Happy Valentine Day!


	4. Exams

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Full Metal Alchemist, ok? I'm not the happiest person on the world, if I own Roy Mustang.

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For the next week for Lily had passed slowly between setting up her new house, getting calls after calls from her worried friends, and finally studying her exams. Luckily, Sheska helped her in that department, giving her books on alchemy she couldn't bring from home. She decorated her home with paintings and strange objects, she used the other room as a study slash work out room, she couldn't really decided which one to use. Every waking hour for her was spent studying for her exams or eating, hardly any sleep. Finally, when she had learned all the information she needed, she literally collapsed on her bed and spent that day just sleeping.

It was the eve of the exams and Lily was having a huge panic attack. She paced up and down the carpet of her bedroom, biting her fingernails, her stomach giving very bad butterfly feeling. She couldn't sleep last night and she was regretting now, her stomach growling, her hair in vicious tangles, and her skin paler then usual. She stopped only when she heard someone banging on her door. She stumbled over to the door, opening it to face Sheska. She looked Lily up and down before starring at her face.

"Lily, what in the world happen to you?"she asked

"I'm so worried that I wouldn't pass my Alchemy exams tomorrow that I couldn't sleep last night, I haven't eaten for the past twenty-four hours, and I forgot the last time I bathed!"she exclaimed

"Whoa, let's get inside before people will think you have gone insane,"Sheska said, pushing herself and Lily in, locking the door behind her.

"Should we call your friends, Mary and Leo, or maybe Viktor?"she suggested, setting the panicking Lily on the love seat

"God, no! Mary will only come over as quickly as she can and try to cheer me up with one of her Roy Mustang fairy tale stories, how he saves the princess from the evil dragon, Roy and the princess fall in love and marry. The princess turns out to be Mary herself. Leo...Lord, he will just be like Mary but less crazy. Viktor is another story..."explained Lily

Sheska bit her lip, trying to figure out what to do in this situation. Her eyes beamed when she finally thought of something she read in a book once/

"Maybe some herbal tea will help you."Sheska said

Lily sighed,"Fine, just make it fast or else I will truly go insane."

After Sheska quickly made tea for her friend, she order something from one of the restaurant near by, ordering Lily to eat, which she did with a gusto. After she nearly ate everything in the house (I mean everything, kiddies) she took a long bath, washing away the dirt on her body, Lily slipped into a gown and went under the covers of her bed, to sleep for the rest of the day and night. Tomorrow was another chapter in her life. Only the gods themselves only knew if she would make it to be a full State Alchemist or not.

---

Sheska stayed the night, sleeping the couch, making sure Lily got to the Exams on time. She woke up the little sleeping beauty around 5 am, even though she was tired as well, but the exams were only four hours later. Lily took a long bath, making sure her hair was washed thoroughly and making her skin smelling other then nasty smells that could make the judges think she hadn't bathed in moths. She quickly ate a big breakfast from yet again, ordering from the same restaurant from last night, Lily was too mentally exhausted to cook. After styling her hair into a bun on top of her hair and a strand of hair coming out of in the middle of it, brushing her teeth, and applying very few make up, it was two hours to go. During that time, she cramped the last remaining book in her study before whisking off to the exam building.

She skidded to a stop at the gate to the building, unlocking the gate and walking inside. She almost fell over the person in front of her. She mumbled a 'sorry', which they just grunted, pretending not to notice her. She almost fainted at the sight of hundreds of people standing from the front door of the building and to where she was. Was this the line to the bathroom or to the Exams?

"Man, it's a lot of people here this year."said a voice behind her.

She turn and was faced with man much older then herself, maybe with just by five or so years. He had shaggy hair, and a pair of green eyes hidden by his long bangs.

"Yeah...I guess so."Lily said

"I'm Rick Masters, perhaps you heard of me?"Vic asked

"No, sorry, I haven't."she said

"So your here for the Exams, too?"he asked

"Yeah, or why would I be in this line in first place?"she asked

"Wow, a seventeen year old entering the Exams, should you be in school, kid?"Rick asked, acting cocky

"I'm twenty years old, thank you very much!"Lily snapped

"So, your legal then? Maybe after this is over, how about we get a cup of coffee?"he suggested, a grin on his face.

"Sorry, no thanks. I rather have someone drive a spike through my head and let them play with my insides then go on a date with you,"she poked his chest,"Besides, I already have a boyfriend."she lied, turning from him.

"What's his name?"

She turn around again,"Excuse me?"

"What is your boyfriend's name?"Rick asked again

"And why would I tell you? You probably don't know him."Lily said, crossing her arms.

"Honey, I know lots of people, trust me. I would know him or at least talked to him in some point in my life."he said, seeing through her little white lie.

"Uh...his name is...Roy Mustang!"she said

He looked stunned at her,"The Roy Mustang? The legendary Flame Alchemist, Roy Mustang?"

'Roy Mustang! How could you think of him at a time like this! You could have made up a name like Shaun Smith! Why Roy Mustang!' a voice in her head screamed.

"Yes, Roy Mustang. We have only been out for a short time but we know we really love each other deeply. It's only time before we get married."Lily quickly said.

'Yeah...real smooth, girl. That should get you out of trouble.' The voice said, being sarcastic.

"Really? Why don't you dump the zero and get with a hero."he said, smirking.

"Oh, you know of one?"Lily said, smirking inside.

"Why you little..."

Lily turn her head around when she saw the front doors opening and letting the exam takers in.

"Oh! The doors are opening. We don't want to be late for the tests!"Lily said, taking off towards the doors, before he could finish his sentence.

----

Lily had some trouble getting past the hundreds of people to get a seat for the written part of the exams. They were in an auditorium of some sorts, mostly filled with curved desks, on the bottom had the high up ranks of the military, even the Führer was there as well. She gulped as she twisted the hem of her shirt in worry, her stomach was tightening.

She jumped in her seat when the Führer banged his mallet against a piece of wood, "We'll now commence the preliminary exam. Good luck."he said  
"Begin!"

She took a deep, calming breath as they passed the tests the room for everyone. When her's finally came, she stared at the hunk of page, nearly an inch thick.  
"You can do this, do it for Viktor and everyone back home."she whisper to her self as she picked up a pencil and begin writing and filling in answers.

----  
An hour and a half later, Lily sighed in relief as she walked outside and into the sun. She stretched out her sore muscles, careful not to hit the other passing people. She spotted Sheska in the crowd looking for her, Lily walked towards her.

"Hey,"she said, making Sheska almost jumping out of her skin.

"Sorry."

"Hello, Lily, how was the test?"Sheska asked after calming down from her fright

"It was alright, I was only three quarters from finishing. But, I hope I passed. Now comes the interview then if I make it, the practicals test, which I'm not ready for."Lily sighed

"Don't worry, when it comes to that part, you will think of something."she said

"Sheska, what has gotten into you? You seemed so out of character."Lily pointed out.

"Wait, I think I got it. You have been reading through my personal books while I was away, right?"she questioned

"He he, maybe,"Sheska blushed

"Ok, I will deal with you later after I'm done. I have to get ready for the interview."Lily said before walking off.

----  
Lily stood in front of a grand, marble structured door. It was filled with designs she had only seen in books. From here and beyond there, would change her life forever. She gulped before pushing on the doors and walking in. She stood in a darken room until flashes of light almost blinded her that she saw a long table filled with the same people from before. She glanced around and saw a three legged chair.

"Take a seat. Alchemy is the science of balance,"the Führer spoke from his place at table,"If you have the gift, it will not refuse you."

Lily nodded and sat in front of the officials, surprising the chair stayed in place. She sat calmly, waiting for whatever will happen next.

The Führer smiled,"Very good. Now, tell me why you wish to an alchemist for our military, Lillian?"he asked

Lily bit the inside of her cheek as she tried to form the words in her mind. Flashes of friends and family flashes before her eyes.

_'Mary...Leo...Viktor...'_

She looked at the ground,"Because..."she lifted her head to face them,"Because I believe I serve a great purpose then being a normal, girl from the country. I believe that if I use all the power and know lodge I have, I will be a famous Alchemist one day, just like my mentor. I promised him that I will try my hardest and make him proud."she said

The Führer looked at her sternly before smiling.

"Good. You have prove your point, tomorrow will be the practicals, let's hope you have enough courage here then you will have there."he said  
----

Lily sighed in relief as she enter through the doorway of her bedroom. She felt drained, both physically and mentally. She felt like she had been run over by a truck ten times. She toed off her shoes and fell onto the bed, face down. She was about to go to sleep when the phone on her nightstand began to ring loudly, adding more to her headache. She picked it off the receiver and put it against her ear.

"Hello?"she asked

"Lily! Finally you answer, I was try to reach you all day! Where have you been?"a familiar voice nearly yelled from the other end.

"Hello, Mary. Yes, I'm fine, how about you?"she asked, coldly.

"Don't you start that tone with me, missy! I'm have you know-"

"Look, Mary, I'm happy to hear from you but I'm tired and I need sleep for the Alchemy praticals tomorrow."Lily said

"Oh my God! You got in! I'm so freaking happy for you!"Mary yelled, happily, totally changing her mood.

"Did you see Roy Mustang there? Did you ask him to sign your chest-"

"Mary!"Lily yelled, cutting her off,"Behave yourself, will you? No, I didn't see much of him and I didn't ask him to do..._that_! Mary,"she rubbed her temple,"If you don't mind, I would really want to get to the point why you called before I send Mr. Funny Bunny's head in the mail."she warned

"NO! Not Mr. Funny Bunny! You monster!"Mary cried before acting calm,"I got carried away there, didn't I? Hey, Lily, me and Mr. Curve are thinking about heading to Central in a few weeks, to check on you and see if the military is treating you well or else."

"Yeah, yeah, fine,"she said, not paying attention,"I have to go, later, Lucas!"she said before hanging up the phone.

"I need to get new friends."she whispered before falling asleep.  
----

The next day, Lily was rushing off to get dress, grabbing a bite to eat. She nearly knocked down everything in the house as she rushed to get ready for the praticals in less then thirty minutes. She quickly threw on a blue tank top, blue jeans, and a pair of running shoes. She ran out the door, still busy putting her hair in a ponytail.

With five minutes to spare, she ran towards the building were the praticals were held. She saw what looked to be a mixed up painting, with trees, snow covered mountains, some regular ones, and a small river. She joined the group of others, it seem to be only twenty five at the most, totally less then yesterday. She looked around, she almost jumped out of her skin as she saw Rick from the other day, smiling and waving at her. He blew her a kiss and smirked at her discomfort.

"Jackass..."she mutter under her breath

Everyone quite it down when the Führer cleared his throat before speaking.

"Welcome to the practiacl skills exams. We've provided you with some nice raw materials for your alchemy. You may use them to create whatever you see fit."he said

"First up, Michael Scrubs,"a military personal said.

A tall man with broad shoulders and short white hair walked out of the crowd. Lily watched as he drew a weird looking transmutation circle before taking some water and ground, throwing them roughly on the circle. He placed his hands on it, a soft yellow glow come from it and in a flash, there stood a metallic suit of armor. People clapped before he was excused for someone else to try. As Lily alchemist after alchemist transmuting raw materials into objects from strange and remarkable standers, she waited for her name to be called. She straighten when she heard a familiar name,

"Richard Masters, please come up and show us your skills of alchemy."

She watched as Rick walk up, a strong sense of confidence in his face. He smirked and drew his transmutation circle. After he was done, he grabbed a bucket of snow, some water, dirt, and parts of a tree. He turned his head, winking at Lily. She sighed, shaking her head. Can't the guy just leave her be? She was cut off from her thoughts when she heard a loud sound and looked up to see an statue of the Führer himself made of black marble.

"Show off..."she cursed under her breath

She spotted something strange at the corner of her eyes, there at the base of the statue, the foundation was quickly falling part. She tried to warn Rick over the loud clapping from the officials and the alchemist, but it failed in the end. She pushed past the others, trying to reach Rick and warn him. When she finally broke free of the mob, she and the others saw the top of the statue falling down from the ground and towards the clueless Rick, she used all of her energy and ran towards him.

"Watch out, Rick!"she yelled

She fell on top of him, trying to get him out of there. Before she could do that, the statue fell on them both, the statue breaking into millions of pieces. Everyone was hushed, too afraid to move, fearing that those two were both dead. Before anyone could react, a big burst of red light filled around the area and a large booming sound was heard. Red rose petals fell from the sky and onto the ground, that didn't shock them, it was that both Lily and Rick laid on the ground, completely unharmed. Lily starred at her trembling hands as she felt great power pulsate through her finger tips.

Führer Bradly smirked from his spot, as the others starred at the young Lily, "Another one capable of using alchemy without circles. I think we found our new State Alchemist."

Lillian Marshall: State Alchemist  
Certification Examination: Passed

----

Author Notes: Yay! Lily passed! Do the happy dance! Or maybe not...if you want, I'm not forcing you. I had to wait for the dvd with the Alchemist Exam in the mail from Netflix before I became typing this, I had to do some research. If you notice I took stuff from that episode and some lines from the Simpsons, if you notice. The only reason I named Rick Master, he was nameless for awhile, because I don't know if I would use him again. But, if you guys want him in here, tell me in the reviews. I love the comment of Roy Mustang posing as Lily's boyfriend, at least in conversation. What would he think he knew about it? Is it foreshadowing? Maybe or maybe not.

Next chapter: Lily gets her offical State Alchemist title and heads to work, meeting up with Roy Mustang.

P.S. While I was waiting for the DVD, I made this for the 'fic. It what the button from chapter three would look, but round and much better. If you want to see it, just review and I will send it in email.

If you use it, tell where you got it. Thanks again!

review!


	5. Second Name

Disclaimer: i won nothing of Full Metal Alchemist, or else I would be happy girl.

----

Lily walked in her newly made State Alchemist uniform, a smile on her face as she walked towards the door to her new office. She wonder who she was working for, what they looked like, how they act, and so forth. She smiled once she reached the correct door. She open the door and walked in, there faceless people, sitting in desks, stared at her. In a moment, they were laughing at her, pointing at her as they laughed their head off. She raised an eyebrow at what they were laughing about. Lily looked down and screamed and saw her uniform was gone and in it's place was...nothing! She wasn't wearing anything, she was naked! She quickly covered herself up as her cheeks redden from embarrassment.

"This is not happening, this is not happening, this is not happening."she chanted as they kept laughing.

Rick came out of nowhere, holding a camera with a smirk on his face. He held the camera towards her.  
"Say cheese,"he smiled as he took hundreds of photos, almost blinding Lily.

"Go away, go away, go away!"she said, throwing her arms about.

She bolted straight in her bed, her body sweaty and drenched. She sighed in relief as she found herself safe in her bedroom. A gentle hand laid on her shoulder.

"Are you alright, honey?"asked a familiar voice

"It's was just a bad dream, that's all, Rick."she said softly.

Rick wrapped his arms around her middle and kissed her shoulder and traveled to her neck, she smiled in enjoyment.

"There is nothing to worry about not, baby. Let daddy take care of those nasty dreams for you."Rick said, easing Lily back into bed.

Lily wrapped her arms around his middle and hugged him tight as he wrapped his arms around her protectively, she laid her head on his chest.

"I love you, Lily."

"I love you too, Rick."she smiled and went back to sleep.

Lily screamed as she finally woke back into the real world. She sat in her bed, looking around for any signs of Rick, thankfully he wasn't there. It was just a dream, it was just a dream. She pinched herself to see if it was reality...it was. She sighed and moved a strand of blond hair from her face and laid back down.

"I gotta stop eating chili dogs before going to bed."she said, as she closed her eyes and slept again with no more dreams.

----

Finally, the real first day of her Alchemist job. She woke up an hour earlier then her normal time, getting ready. She had a hard time deciding how to do her hair. She tried a simple bun, a bun with chopsticks in them, a twin braids that went together in the middle, a braid long her back with a few color ribbons, and in the end, since she was running out of time, a high ponytail and some colorful clips. The uniform they send over, was a bit too tight around the chest area, almost lifting up a tad bit. She cursed when she saw what time it was, she quickly grabbed her briefcase and some pieces of buttered toast and ran out.

Ever since her exams, word had gotten out that she could do alchemy without a circle, which even surprise her in fact. Ever since then, she couldn't really do it again, as hard as she bit. She tried to turn cold water into hot water but it didn't work, it only turn it lukewarm, at least she was getting there. After a few practices she might even do most simple things, like turning water into wine.

She finally reached the work building, almost tripping over her new boots, they were two sizes too big. Later, she would ask for a more fitting uniform, and if they give her any sass, she could always set Mary on them, saying they hate Roy Mustang. She slowed down her speeding and into a smooth walk. She pulled out a slip of paper they had given her, pointing her which room was her new office. She sighed hoping this wasn't going to be like her dream, and Rick being in both of them. Most her day was just taking a long shower, trying to scrub every feeling he caused, even if he wasn't real in her dream, it still freaked out. She glanced at the paper, reading the number of the room.

**'24 A'**

She spotted the door number quickly, she stood in front of it. She straighten out her hair, it was mess up from her rapid running. She took a deep breath and had her hand on the door knob when she heard voices from the other sides. She got interest and press her ear against the wood, hearing the voices clearly.

"So, what do you think of the new recruit? I heard she can do alchemy without transmutation circles or something like that."said a man

"Don't we have someone like that? Ed Elric."said another

"I don't really count him as part of the team, seeing he is never around to do paperwork, and besides I think she is a lot closer to our age and not short as Ed."said the first.

"Hey, Kain, maybe you won't be the youngest one here,"someone joked

"That is so funny, I forgot to laugh,"the one named Kain said dryly, annoyed.

"I wonder what she would look like."said the first one again.

"Why do you want to know that, Havoc? To see if you can finally get a date?"one joked

"Yeah, probably the only ones who are interested in him are ones with moles on their faces, a mustache, and tall and wide."another laughed

_'Are they calling me ugly? Well, I outta punch them in the throat for that.'_

"Oh shut up, Breda. I can get any date any day of the week!"Havoc snapped

Lily glared at the door, having enough of this "conversation". She took a deep breath to calm herself, she straighten herself up, acting like she never heard anything. She knocked gently on the door, opening in slowly, alerting the men in the room. She finally enter when the door was big enough for her. There inside was four men, one with the mix of white and black hair sitting at one of the desks, during a few paper work. The others, who were leaning against the row of desks or standing straight. One had light brown hair with a dirty blond like hair on top of his head, a lit cigarette in his mouth. Another one who was also leaning against the desk was kind of short next to the first guy, he was chubby around the middle and a small patch of red hair and the other part looked to be shaven off. The last but not least was a man, no older then hair, with glasses and black hair. They stared at her in shock and in amazement, looking her up and down.

_'Not so ugly, huh boys?'_ she thought, smirking inside.

"Wow..."she heard one whisper

"Is this room 24 A, right?"she asked, acting innocent

They seem to snap back from fantasy world, finally one spoke, the blond and brown head man,"Why, yes, this is room 24 A. And how may I kiss, I mean help you?"he asked

She giggled a bit before answering,"Actually, I'm the new recruit and I'm wondering if I got the right room or not."she said

"What! Your the recruit! No way!"he nearly yelled  
The man from the desk stood up and walked towards her. He had a small smile on his face. He outstretch his hand in front of her, which she took and they shook hands.  
"What Havoc means to say, welcome to our team. I'm Vato Falman, you must be Lillian Marshall, right?"he asked

"Yes, but you can call me Lily for short."Lily said

"This is Heymans Breda,"Vato pointed to the chubby one

"Hey,"Heymans waved

"And the young one is Kain Fuery."he pointed to the last one.

"Hello."Lily smiled at him

He blushed,"H-hello."Kain said softly.

"Miss Marshall, I mean Lily, have you been given your official State Alchemist pocket watch?"asked Vato

"Uh, no, I just got my uniform just yesterday, no pocket watch in sight."she said

"Don't worry, Mustang will give you one."he said

"M-Mustang? As in thee Roy Mustang?"she asked shakily

"Yes, is there a problem?"

_'Yes, there is a problem, you idiot! If Mary and Leo find about this, they will probably kidnap him and never let him go, ruining my chances at a job!'_ she yelled in her mind.

"Nope, no problem, Vato. I'm just surprise that's all, after I heard many things about him."she said, quickly covering it up.

As if right in cue, the door open all the way and the desire of Mary's and Leo's fantasies popped in, a woman with short blonde hair following. He was busy reading a report in his hands.

"All right, quit chit chatting and get back to work, you lot. I don't want anyone of you stuck here tonight, still finishing up your day's work again."he said, sitting down at his big desk.

"Uh, sir..."the woman said trying to alert him.

"What is it, Hawkeye?"he looked up and saw Lily standing there next to Vato.

"And who may you be?"he asked

"I'm Lily Marshall, the new recruit."she answer

"Oh, the one that can also do alchemy without circles, soon they would probably make club with people like you,"he said, dryly

"I thought you were suppose to come later."Roy added

"I came right on time, the time where I was suppose to have come, sir."she said

"Right. Well, as your new boss, I have to give you the pocket watch and your official State name from the Führer."he said

Lily walked over towards Roy, starring at him, waiting for him to do the next move. He looked through his drawers in his desk until he pulled out a silver looking pocket watch on top of a folder. He handed them over to Lily, who opened the pocket watch and watched the hands of the clock ticking smoothly. It was just like Viktor's but with more shine. She placed it carefully in her pocket and open the thick folder and pulled out the first sheet of paper inside and read it out loud.

"We give the name 'Crimson Petal' to the Lillian Marshall in the name Führer King Bradley."

"Along with the pocket watch everyone of us is assigned a symbolic second name, depending on your talents. And your's is the 'Crimson Petal'."Roy said

"Welcome aboard Crimson Petal Alchemist,"he smirked  
----  
Lily once again walked through the door way to her home, even more exhausted then the other day. Man, Roy Mustang was strict as a boss. First thing she had to do was write millions of reports, she hadn't write that hard since she was in school. She yawned, throwing her briefcase on the couch, not caring if it hit the coffee table. All though the day, both Breda and Havoc were acting strange, she caught them both starring at her while they were suppose to be doing work. Only Kain and Vato acted normal, well Vato was doing his work and Kain blushed scarlet when she looked towards him. Hawkeye, the only female besides her looked strict and mean. And Roy Mustang, was a complete jerk! He was rude, insensible, and a womanizer. If only Mary and Leo knew about his true side, well...she didn't know if they would still like him or hate him. She walked into her kitchen and looked in the fridge for something to eat. She looked up when her phone began to ring. She cursed under her breath for someone to keep her from eating, she picked up the phone and placed it against her ear.

"Hello?"

"Lily, darling!"Mary's voice greeted her, "How was work? Was Roy hard on you?"she could hear the smirk in her voice.

"What? How did you know Roy Mustang was my boss?"Lily asked, very scared and shocked.

"Oh, I didn't. You just told me."Mary giggled

"So you just say that even if Roy wasn't my boss!"she yelled

"Calm down, flower, just run towards Roy's house and throw yourself at him and beg him to take care of all your troubles! Hey, maybe I should do that instead."Mary said, smiling.

"Mary..."Lily growled,"I don't want to deal with you and your crazy obsession! I need sleep and eat!"

"But...I want to-"

"Good-bye, Mary!"she yelled into the mouth piece before slamming it on the receiver.

Back at Raislen

Mary looked at the phone in her hand in shock. Lily sounded more angry then when both her and Leo put Roy's picture on her underwear and cloths. She sighed in defeat and placed the phone back, she leaned back into her chair, her head resting on her hand. A sudden idea came to mind, she smirked wickedly.

"Hey, Leo!"she called towards her friend in the kitchen.

"What?"he asked, leaning backwards, stirring something in a bowl.

"We are heading to Central! We are going to visit an old friend..."she said

"MUHAHAHAHAHAHA!"she laughed before coughing widely,"Excuse me."  
----  
Author Note: Hey, another visit from Rick, only in Lily's dreams, but still. Lily didn't have a good start at a new day at a job, her cloths not fitting, boots too big for her, and running late. Well, well, seems her co-works like her, more then a friend, mind you. She is now "Crimson Petal Alchemist" now. Thought the title was just for show? Roy is rude to her, really big shocker there. And most important thing ever...Leo and Mary are married! No, no, they are not. Just friends, just friends, sorry everyone. Fooled you, right? But, they are still going to Central and guess what that means. Chaos, fun, drama, and a little romance. And now to answer some questions from our readers:

Gun.God.Angel: Thanks for the idea, but not sure if I will use it. But, if I do, I will credit to you.  
Anya-06: Yes, we will see Ed and Al, but hopefully much later. When Lily settles in and does not have to fear for my boss's life from her friends.

This chapter was brought to you by:  
The Roy Mustang Fan Club

"The Only Reason We Will Is To Serve Our Master, Roy Mustang." (They are working on the motto)

Please review!


	6. The Team Come Rolling In

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Full Metal Alchemist, blah, blah, blah. See, I'm not truly happy, lol.

* * *

It's been over a week since Lily had been with Roy Mustang, not that way, people! Her job, her job we are talking about. Shesh, you guys take stuff too far. Oh, yeah, where was I? Oh yeah, it's been a week since Lily's new job with Roy Mustang. During that time, she had been practicing her alchemy, getting close to transmuting water into ice, she felt like she was when she first started alchemy with Viktor. Also, during the day some of her co-workers tried to ask her on a date, mostly Havoc (he needs a girl friend, badly!) but she simply turn them down. She kept having strange dreams though, during the week, all seem to start out nice and turn bad. It only meant something or someone was to bring certain doom in her life.

One morning, Lily was awoken by someone ringing door bell rapidly, she slipped into a pair of fuzzy slippers and a gown, cursing at person who woke her up early. She stretched out her muscles, yawning, the bell still ringing. She shuffle her way to the door, rubbing her eyes from sleep.

"I swear to God, Havoc, if your just here to ask for a date, I will skin you."she cursed

She open the door, expecting to see her co-worker outside with a bouquet of flowers. But, instead she was nearly thrown to the floor by a figure, hugging her too tight. She pushed the person off of her, roughly and was met with Leo hanging onto Mary before she fell. The raven hair beauty straighten herself up.

"That was mean, Lily! I have could've gotten hurt."she pouted

"Sorry, Lucas, but I was sleeping and I'm little cranky, how about you ask Roy to kiss your boo-boo."Lily said coldly.

Her face brighten,"Do you think he would do that for me!"

Lily sighed, pulling Mary inside and Leo walked in by himself, carrying several bags.

"Heya, my lily-pad,"he smiled, hugging her with one arm.

"Hey, Leo. As much as I enjoy see you guys, but what are you doing here?"she asked, closing the door.

"Why, visiting you of course! I thought you knew that, we told you a week ago,"said Mary before starring at Lily,"You didn't paying attention, did you?"she question

"Yeah, but I was exhausted when you called."Lily said

"Well, whatever. Leo, could you make some breakfast for Lily and me?"she asked, putting on a puppy dog face.

"Sure, and you don't need to do that, love,"he kissed Mary on top of the head before heading to the kitchen.

"Come, I want to show you what me and the rest of the club made!"Mary said, pulling Lily by the hand and put her on the couch.

She reached into a bag and pulled out all sorts of weird stuff, placing them on the coffee table. Lily was stunned as she saw Roy Mustang plushies, towels with his face on it, pillow cases and bed sheets, lots of buttons and posters, tee shirts in different sizes and types, rub on tattoos, and the most weirdest one, Roy Mustang shampoo and conditioner.

"What the hell is all this stuff?"Lily asked, picking up a random plush

"Why, merchandise for our club. We are getting very popular, I have you know. I even got ten people to join right on the train! The shampoo and conditioner was hard, we didn't know if Roy was a fruity or mild type. But, finally we went with both, for everyone, both boys and girls!"Mary said

"You know that Leo is only guy in the club, right?"

"Yeah, maybe. But there has to be some in Central but we just have find them!"her friend smiled

Leo came around the couch and set three plates full of fruits, toast with jam, and some glass of milk and juice on the table.

"Here you go, ladies,"he said, grabbing himself a plate and sitting in the love seat a few feet from them.

"Lily, I heard you talking about a Havoc guy a few minutes ago, just outside the door."Leo said

"Yeah, and you mention something about a date, too. Who is he? And is he good for our little flower?"Mary asked Lily

"He is no one, you guys, just someone I work with. Nearly everyone is asking me in the dates, thankfully just the guys..."she replied

Mary smirked,"Oh, I see, maybe we should make a club for Lily as well."

"I call President!"yelled Leo

"Dang it,"Mary cursed under her breath

"If you dare try to do that, I will destroy all of your Roy Mustang, including the human size huggable pillow."Lily warned

"No!"screamed Mary

Lily sighed, shaking her head at her friend. She grabbed a piece of toast and nibbled on it.

"So, any dreams about Roy that we should know about?"asked Leo, almost making Lily choke the piece of toast in her mouth.

"What? Why would I dream about him? I have enough troubles with Rick Master popping in my dreams..."she said, unaware she said the last part out loud.

"Who is he?"

"Who is who?"

"Rick Masters, you said it yourself that he kept popping in your dreams. Did something happen between you two in reality and in the dream world that we should know about?"asked Mary, smirking

"No, nothing happen. He is just a jerk that I saved his life once and in debuted to me,"

She made up that part, she reach down and rapped her fist against the wood of the couch, making it sound like someone was knocking on the door. She smiled and got up.

"I think that is him now, well, I better get ready for work. He is walking me there,"she smirked and went into her bedroom.

Mary scrambled off the couch and pressed her face to the window, she looked around outside and saw no one there. She frowned, being a fool of Lily's trickery.

"She tricked us,"she said to Leo before looking up to see Lily walking out fully clothed,"You tricked us!"

Lily laughed,"That is what you get when you threaten to make a fan club out of me,"she smirked.

"I will see you later, guys! Try not to mess up the place!"she called out, walking out the door.

Mary ran to the doorway, waving her finger at Lily.

"I know where you live, Lillian! I will seek my revenge, I promise you!"she yelled, scarring the passing people on the streets.

----

Lily sighed in relief as she finally reached work on time, maybe a few seconds behind, but who would notice? She was a lot happier since this morning, making Mary seem foolish instead of the other way around. She open the door to her office and walked in, seeing everyone there.

"Your late,"came a voice behind the big desk.

She glanced at the clock, seeing it was a minute pass. That totally put an end to her happy mood.

"Only by a minute...sir."she said, starring at Roy from across the room.

"Just get to work before your even more late,"came the reply.

Lily sighed and took her regular seat and start working on the forums near her. She leaned her head on her hand, being extremely bored. Alchemist shouldn't be doing this, not filling out paperwork while they should be out in the field. She guess this is what Viktor didn't have to put up with, he mostly traveled a lot during his time in the military. She just wished there was excitement into this job.

A few hours had pass and finally it was lunch time. Instead of going to the Mess Hall, as she suppose to, she grabbed some food from a diner and sat outside the main building, sitting on the edge of a water fountain. She chewed off a small piece of a sandwich, watering it down with a soda. When she thought she was alone, a voice came out of nowhere.

"Shouldn't you be in the Mess Hall where the other's eat?"Lily looked up and saw Riza Hawkeye standing there.

"Oh, hello, Hawkeye, I didn't see you there,"she said,"I guess wanted to get away from everyone, just some peace and quiet, which I may not get any time soon."she answered her question.

"What do you mean by that?"Riza asked

"Oh, just some friends came by earlier and just in an hour, they are driving me up the wall with their obsession slash club. Really annoying for a club about Ro-"Lily stopped in mid sentence that she was talking out loud again.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing, just forget I said any thing!"she cried

"Right..."

"I better get going,"Lily said, finishing up her lunch,"I will see you later, Riza."she said before walking off.

Lily threw away her lunch in the nearest trash bin. She still had the half empty can of soda in her hand, she needed it for work, so she wouldn't fall asleep. She walked towards her now empty office, she had to finish up the report she was during before she left for lunch, Roy would kill her if he found out she didn't finish it up. Lily open the door and what she saw made her drop her soda from her hand and onto the floor, spilling it's contents on the floor. There inside her office, sitting in her co-workers seats, talking to each other, was what she prayed that would never happen, Mary and Leo! They stopped when they notice Lily there.

"Hey, Lily, back from your lunch break already?"Mary asked, leaning back in her chair.

Lily took a deep breath before replying,"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!"she yelled

"Wow, chill, we are just stopping by and saying 'hi'. Hi!"said her friend

"You mean stopping by and saying 'Hello, will you bear my children?' to Roy?"she asked

"How did you know I was going to say that?"Mary asked, a cat like smirk on her face.

"How did you got in here?"

"It was unlock, of course."she replied

"No, not that. How in the world did you find the correct office?"

"Oh, that! Well, your friend, Sheska, 'politely' told us."she said

"If I find out you hurt her in anyway, so help God...I will..."

"We also found a entry in your dream journal about Roy."Mary cut it

"What!"

"Yep, we were bored and innocently saw your notebook laid open on your desk, right on the page about Roy..."Leo said, smiling as well.

"I had that book under lock and key..."

Mary pulled Lily's journal from her pocket, clearing her throat, she read the passage from the book.

"'I was felt alone in dark and eery room, no lights, no furniture, and no any recognizable was in plain sight of me. But only I and him were alone, I cradled his head in my lap, his black hair falling on my thighs. His dark eyes, ( oh, how I always thought of them when I gazed in them when he does not notice) looks at my crying face as I beg him not to go. 'Roy, Roy, I don't want to loose you, I love you too much!' I cried, his reply was weak, so soft that if I wasn't so close, I wouldn't have heard,'Don't cry for me,' he raised his hand up to my face, brushing away the droplets of tears from my rosy cheeks,'Everything will be alright, I promise. You will find another one to replace me and you and him will love forever with children running through the garden, playing with the family dog, as you and him watch from the porch, holding each other.'"Mary said

Lily blushed and grabbed her journal back from them and read the page, to only find it was complete blank escape a little drawing in the corner with a small head of Mary sticking her tongue at her with the words at the bottom 'Fool You!'. She glared at them.

"You guys are completely immature!"she yelled

"Yeah, but it you who started it with the Rick thing. And just when I was getting started on the 'Do's and Don'ts For Dating Lily' for Rick."Mary said, shrugging.

Lily had her fists clutched at her sides, shaking in anger. In a split second, she had both Mary and Leo up on their feet and shoving them the door way. She only stopped when she in the corner of her eye, Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye walking down the corridor and towards the office. Lily quickly forgot her anger about her two friends and pulled them back inside before they spotted her boss. She looked around wildly, looking for somewhere to hid them. She quickly saw the saw storage closet, she quickly shoved her and her friends in the dark room.

"Stay here and don't make a sound, I warn you."Lily said, glaring at them in the dark.

"Hey, I don't want to go back into the closet,"

"Shut up, Leo."

"Why are we heading, Lily? Did you see one of your admirers coming down with some flowers?"Mary asked

Lily kept both of their mouths shut by putting her hands over their mouths.

"Shut up before I use alchemy to kept your mouths completely shut."Lily whispered

They waited silence until the sound of two pairs of boots clicking against the floor escape the silence, as Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye came in.

"Hawkeye, remind me to check those reports Lily did, even if she is new, she still must work as it natural and see everything is filled and such,"the sound of his foot landing in the pool of soda was heard,"and get this stuff clean up."

"Yes, sir,"Riza voice was heard.

Lily could practically hear Mary's mind as she tried to break away from Lily's hold on both of them. Lily knew she wanted to go outside and jump and launch onto Roy before he could run.

"Stop it, Mary!"hissed Lily

"Did you hear that, Riza?"asked Roy, hearing noises in the closet

"Hear what?"

Roy placed a gloved finger over his lips, telling Riza to be quiet. He creped over to the closet, his feet making no sound at all as he walked. He slowly turn the door handle and jumped back when three figures fell out, two on top of one.

"Gewtff off meff!"the bottom one screamed

Mary looked up at Roy, her eyes instantly sparkling with joy and excitement, she hit Leo in the arm to get his attention, he too looked up with the same expression.

"Oh my God! It's really him! Standing in front of us! I could die right here and now and I will be still be filled with joy!"Mary said

"Who the hell are you two?"Roy demanded

Mary and Leo were instantly on their feet as Lily laid on the ground.

"Why we are members of the Roy-"they began before Lily came back up and covered their mouths.

"Shut up, Lucas and Curve."she hissed

"Lily? What is the meaning of this?"asked Roy

"Nothing, sir, just talking to some old pals of mine."she replied

"In a closet...?"

"Well...Yeah! It's an old tradition back at Raislen."she lied

"AH!"she screamed when Mary bit her hand, instantly letting both of them go.

Both Mary and Leo were in front of Roy in a instant, too close for personal space.

"Ohmygod! Roy Mustang, you can't tell how happy we finally meet you in person!"

"Are you a fruity or mild type?"

"Are you boxers or briefs?"

Lily saw Roy trying to back away from them, fear in his eyes. She looked down at his feet and saw he was about to slip in the pool of soda.

"Roy"she yelled, trying to warn him.

It seemed like slow motion as they saw Roy slipping in the pool of soda and falling down on the ground on his back, unconscious. Everyone stood still and silent as they looked at the fallen Roy, until Mary started to scream.

"AHH! I KILLED THE SUPREME MASTER! I DESERVE TO LIVE! LET HIM TAKE MY LIFE AND HE CAN LIVE!"she yelled

"No, Mary, wait! He is just unconscious!"yelled Lily

---  
(Author Notes: We interrupt this chapter to bring you the following infomercial!)

(Mary and Leo sitting at a table on a studio seat)

Mary: Hey, are you bored all the time? No excitement in your life? You think your love life is going down the drain? Can't even get up in the morning? We have the solution for you! Don't we, Mr. Curve?

Leo: Yes, we do, Miss Lucas. We are proudly to present you...

Both: THE ROY MUSTANG FAN CLUB! The only supreme master for us!

Mary: You don't think you can join? Well, let's answer these questions for you. Do you like wearing miniskirts? Want to support the supreme master? Join the Roy Mustang Fan club, because he's a hot piece of-  
Leo: SHUTYOMOUTH!

Mary: Don't think Roy Mustang is worth it? Well...(Mary climbs onto the table and pointing her finger at the finger) YOU CAN ALL GO TO HELL! Roll that clip of Roy, please!

(A clip of Roy setting flames from his gloves, comes on)

Mary: See, he can even set fire to your hearts ladies! When you see what he can do with

those hands, see what he can do to you. So join the Roy Mustang Fan Club today!  
Announcer(voice over): May cause nausea, the lost of limbs and hair, unable to sleep or eat, seeing things, dancing for no reason, bad love life, and your life. Pretty much, your screwed.  
----

"What's going on now?"

"Shh, I'm trying to listen!"

"Is Lily getting in trouble?"

"I hope Roy isn't too hard on her."

"Shut up!"hissed Leo to Mary and his friend's co-workers as they kept bugging him behind him, he placed his ear back on the closed door and listen carefully.

Now, in the office, Lily starred at her boss, a bandage on the bump he got when he fell. He was flipping several documents, he sighed before putting them away and looked up at Lily.

"You mean to tell me what your friends created a club of me?"he asked, going over through what she told him.

"Yes, sir. They had started it when they were teenagers when we visit Central, they saw you and well...you know..."Lily said softly.

"If you want me to tell them to stop the club, I will."she added

"I don't want it to stop, actually, I encourage it,"he said, smiling.

_He is smiling! Why is he smiling!_

"What?"

"Lily, you brought in unofficial personal into the main building, they could have gotten many files of the top secret category, and you and your friends have got me injured as well. I won't suspend you if you let me to talk to the president of this club."

"W-why?"

"I would like to talk with her about the club, seeing what it offers, how many people are in there, and anything else. So, what do you say? Let me have a date with your friend or I will suspend you."Roy laid his head in his palm.

Lily swallowed before answering,"Sir, you may have this date of yours. Mary will be thrilled and excited as ever. Just a word of advice, don't try to harm my friend."

"I won't think of it,"he smirked,"I will call you later for the information to give your friend. Your dismiss."

Lily sighed and open the door to the office, almost knocking down Leo. She was surprise to see her co-workers out there as well.

"Lily! Are you ok? Did he fire you? No matter how sexy he is, I will kick his ass, his little cute ass I might add."said Mary

"No, he didn't me, he didn't even suspend me, but only on one condition..."Lily said

"What?"asked Havoc

Lily turn to Mary,"Well, it looks like your dream just came true, Mary."

Mary smiled,"You mean I can rule the world?"

"No, your other dream. You have a dream to rule to world?"Lily question

"Yeah, with my army of Roy clones!"she exclaimed, causing the men (not Leo) to groan.

"You mean Roy actually proposed to me?"Mary asked

"No, somewhat. He wants to go on date with you, to discuss about the club..."Lily said, causing Mary to smile ear to ear.

"Yay! I won't let the club down!"Mary yelled, saluting.

Lily grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hall,"Yeah, yeah, let's just get you two home before you embarrass me further."

"Aww come on, Lily!"complained Mary

"Hey, guess what I found out about Roy from Havoc..."she said

"What?"

"When Roy's dream of becoming Führer, he is going have all the women wear miniskirts! Do you think I can join the military?"Mary asked Lily

Leo sighed beside Lily,"If only I was of different sex..."he mutter to himself.

"Your not joining the military, Mary!"exclaimed Lily

"Oh, you know you would look good in a miniskirt."she teased

"YOUR NOT JOINING!"

"Aww, your no fun anymore..."

From down the hall, Roy walked out of his office, a smug look on his face.

"Uh oh, his ego is up,"whispered Havoc to Breda, who nodded

"Do you this is wise, sir?"asked Riza

"Yeah, this way I get some fun to do."he said

The screams of Mary was heard down the hall was Lily hitting her on the head when made a joke about her and her co-workers.

"I was only kidding!"she yelled, rubbing her sore head.  
---  
Author Notes: Lol, I love making this chapter! It's like the longest one yet! I was going to make Mary and Leo come crushing into the office announcing who they were (Roy Mustang fan club members), instead of waiting for Lily. I love the "dream" of Lily and Roy, it's so corny! Could it be foreshadowing? I don't really know myself...Anyway, if anyone wants to join the club, you heard the infomercial. Roy is good with his hands. Really, is Roy and fruity type or mild for a hair product? And a life size huggable Roy Mustang pillow? Who won't want that? Anyway, come back for more of a story and hopefully drama and mystery.

Please review!


	7. Fighting, Dinning, and Betting

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Full Metal Alchemist, only the Roy Mustang club, Lily, Mary, Leo, and a few other characters!

* * *

In a fancy French restaurant, number one in Central, a man with black hair and dark eyes waited patiently waited for his date. He took a long sip from his glass of wine, only looking up when someone walked towards him. A woman, with curly black hair, standing out against her red cocktail dress, her ruby lips glistening in the light as she smiled, happy to see him. She sat down in front of him, straightening her dress from creases.

"It's good to see you, Roy,"she said as a waiter pour her a glass of fine wine.

"Likewise, Mary."Roy smiled

"Shall we go over the plans for the club?"Mary asked

"Mary, Mary,"he shook his head and chuckled,"You know why we are both here, so why can't we just go for it?"

"You mean it?"she asked, hopefully.

He shook his head 'yes', only giving Mary a bigger grin on her face. They both lean forward on the table, right before their lips touch, Mary said something.

"You made me the happiest woman in the world."

---

Lily's eyes shot open when she forced the dream to stop before she threw up in her sleep. She sighed in relief when the word dream came into her mind, it was just a dream, nothing more.

"Hello, Sleepy-Head!"Mary's face hovered over hers.

Lily screamed, causing the other girl to scream as well. Mary fell over the bed and onto the floor. Lily sat up and stared at her friend as she tried to wrestle in the bed sheets she had brought down with her.

"Mary...what are you doing in my room in the middle of the night?"asked Lily

Mary finally got free and sat on the grounds with her knees, her eyes were swelling up with tears.

"I had a bad nightmare about me hitting Roy with a fish!"she cried

"Can I sleep with you?"she asked, her bottom lip trembling.

"No,"

"But...but...but...we use to do it when we were kids with Leo!"Mary exclaimed

"Yeah, but after puberty hit, it was very weird..."Lily said

"Ok, that was weird but it only happen one time!"she pointed out

"Just go back to the couch and sleep there,"

"But after that nightmare...I can't sleep. And besides after last night with Roy..."she sighed dreamily,"It was so magical..."

"You didn't try to seduce him right?"Lily asked, memories of her dream popping up.

"Oh, heavens no!"

"Good..."

"That is only after date two."Mary smirked, getting on the bed near Lily's feet.

"What!"Lily yelled

"Just kidding, honey. We only went over a few plans over dinner. We discuss different strategies for getting more people to join, Roy suggest a theme song but I have no musical talent. He was a perfect gentleman he is so sweet and caring as well! He was the kind of man I want to marry some day!"Mary fell on the bed.

"We are talking about the same Roy here?"

Mary ignore her question,"And we both agree that you and Havoc make a perfect couple."

"What! Please tell me your kidding!"she exclaimed

Mary looked serious before cracking into a grin,"Oh course, I'm joking, Lily! I think Roy was joking."

"I won't ever date Havoc even he is the last man on Earth! Besides, I haven't dated since Adrian..."Lily said softly

"Aww, Lily,"Mary hugged Lily,"If he wasn't born before me, I won't let him into the world. He is such a two-timing, Roy Mustang hater, and all around a jackass I call a brother."she said

"It's ok, I couldn't help it that I fell for a bad boy...I was young and stupid then..."

"Unlike Roy who is sweet and caring!"

"Let go of me."

"Can I still sleep with you? The couch is so lumpy."

"Sure. Are you going to talk about Roy all night?"

"No,"

"Get in."Lily said, moving to give Mary some room.

Mary smiled and got under the covers and pulled the duvet near her head, in a instant she was sleep. Lily sighed and shifted under the covers, her back to Mary. She thank whatever gods that today was a weekend and free of her co-workers and Roy. She was about to fall asleep when she hearing noises from Mary.

"Oh, Roy,"she giggled in her sleep,"Stop tickling me! Oh, you naughty boy, put down the whip cream!"

"That's it, I'm sleeping on the couch..."Lily whisper and moved herself to the couch, anything was better then sleeping in the same bed as Mary.

---

After a hard night sleep on the couch and the sound of Leo's loud snores, Lily woke up and took a hot and steaming bath, trying to wake her up. Thank God for Leo, or else Lily would have burn breakfast for the three of them, she was too tired. She laid her head in her arms as she waited for breakfast, closing her eyes.

"Lily, how about you drink a Roy Mustang brand energy drink?"suggested Mary

"No energy drinks, they are the true masters of trickery..."she mumbled, her words not making any sense.

"Ok..."

"Yo, Lily,"she heard Leo called form the oven.

She lifted her head,"What, Leo?"

"How about you transmute something soft into beds for Mary and me,"

"I will try...but not now...need food."she said, putting her head back down again.

Leo chuckled and set a plate full of food from scrambled eggs to bacon, fruits to toast with jam. Lily quickly grabbed the mug of coffee from his hands before he could set it down. She chugged it down, some spilling down from the corners of her mouth. She quickly dug into her breakfast, wolfing it down with a gusto.

Mary and Leo looked at Lily in awe as she ate,"Dude, slow down."

"Mmphfh."she glared at them with food in her mouth.

"Easy, Lily, don't hurt yourself."said Leo

Lily swallowed down the food in her mouth,"Shut up, I need the goodness of the foods of breakfast."

"Huh?"

"Never mind, I'm heading to the gym."Lily stood.

"But you have one right here,"Mary pointed out

"Yeah, but I just need a big place to exercise and I don't want to knock down any of my books in there."she said, already grabbing a gym bag from her room.

"Later!"she shouted when she was outside the door.

-----

A few hours later, Lily was currently punching the stuffing out of a punching bag, hanging from the ceiling. She was lucky enough to find the military gym completely empty, especially for a weekend. Her gray wife-beater drench in sweat, dark blue gym shorts clinging to her legs, and her hands wrapped into cloth to prevent injury to her knuckles. She did a round house kick to the bag, it swung back and forth as she got back into her stance. She grabbed her water bottle from the bench, plopping herself on it, she chugged down the water. After she was done almost drinking all the water, she grabbed a towel and dried herself from sweat, when she looked back from the floor she spotted someone coming through the front entrance, a familiar figure.

"Hello, Mustang,"she greeted, walking towards him.

"Good morning, Marshall. I'm surprise to see here at this time of day."he said

She notice he was wearing a white wife-beater and black sweats, which surprising look better on him then his military uniforms.

"Yeah, same to you too."Lily said

"Mary tells me that you were the perfect gentleman to her, which surprises me that your such an ass to me. How is that, Mister Mustang?"she asked

"You know I can suspend you for calling me an 'ass'."he said

"But that only works during work hours and well...it is a weekend."Lily smirk, walking away from him.

"Mary also told me that your part of the club as well,"Roy called after her, she froze in her steps.

"Wh-what?"she turn her head slowly

"Yeah, she said you were the first people to join. I'm surprise you had feelings for me like that."he said, looking smug as ever.

She redden,"Woah, woah, don't jump to conclusions! I only join to stop Mary and Leo bugging me. I don't give a damn if you lost your arm or other body parts."she said, her hands on her hips while facing him.

He walked up to her, a few inches from her,"Oh, Lily, you know that love in the work place is not allowed but I can let it slip."he laid a hand on her shoulder.

Lily glared at him before staring at his hand on her shoulder. She looked at his smug face when an idea came to mind. She grabbed his hand and threw him over her shoulder, he landed on his back behind her. She turn and walk up to him, now the one with the smirk on her face.

"Now, who is the one embarrassed? You got beaten up a girl, one this a lower rank then you as well."Lily said

"Ok, Ok,"he said, looking up at her,"Watch your step."he said suddenly

"Watch your step? That makes no-"she cut off when Roy swing his arm, hitting her ankle, she fell on her back as well.

"You little baster,"she cursed at him.

He got up from the floor, dusting the dirt from his work out cloths. Roy smirked at her an extended his hand to her.

"Come on, this is no way to treat your boss eh, Lily?"he asked

"Feh, I haven't given up yet,"she said

She grabbed his hand, pulling him down, she use her legs against his stomach and heaved him back on the ground again. She quickly got up and got into a fighting stance, adrenaline running through her veins.

"Want to fight, eh? I can handle you,"Roy said, getting up from the ground and also getting into fighting stance as well.

"Don't be so sure, I did have a good teacher."Lily said

"How about we make a bet?"

"What sort of bet?"

"The winner get's to pick out a place to eat for lunch, no matter how much it is expensive, and the loser has to pay the bill. I hope you have enough money on you because I feel like sushi for lunch."Roy said, adding a smirk at the end.

"Fine then, your on, Mister Flame Alchemist."Lily agree

"I'm really going to enjoy this, Crimson Petal."he said back.

They stood still for a moment before charging at each other.

-----

"I still can't believe I lost,"

"Face it, I'm better then you can ever be."

"I was easy on you, you know."

"Oh, shut up, and eat your salad, Roy."

Lily smirk from her side of the table in an Italian theme restaurant. It was a rough fight between the two, it was anyone's game. There was a few times where Lily thought she was beat, but in the end, and a swift kick in the stomach, she won. Now, it was Roy job to pay for the bill, and she was going to make sure she was going to put a hole in his wallet.

"Where in the world did you learn to fight like that?"he asked

"From my teacher and father figure, Viktor Marshall. Before I could learn alchemy I had to strengthen up my physical form, and Viktor was an excellent teacher." Lily said, drinking from her glass of water.

"Maybe your getting too old," she whisper, smirking.

"I heard that." he growled

"I know."

"I heard that your still trying to get use to using alchemy without circles," Roy said, changing the subject

"Yeah, it's very, very rare for people to do it so I'm kind of nervous that I will fail at alchemy." Lily said

"Want to show what you have right now?" he asked

"Sure,"

She looked around, looking for something. She plucked a grape from the basket that was use as a center piece. She plopped it in her glass of water. Lily concentrated before touching the glass, and in a flash of red light, the water turn into thick red wine. She handed the glass to Roy.

"Try it. Don't worry, it's not poisoned or a few hundreds of groupies of your would chase me down the street." she said, urging him on.

He raised an eyebrow before taking a sip of the wine. He tasted it around his mouth before drinking some more.

"Pretty good, I'm impress." he said, setting the glass down.

"Thanks,"she smiled

"And I thought this date would end in disaster." Roy said

Her smile fell as she look serious, "This is not a date, Mustang. This is the prize of the bet you made. I won, you lost, and I'm just taking the rewards."

"Sure, whatever you say."

----

After a big lunch, Roy and Lily walked from the restaurant to her house. She ate nearly everything from the menu, most of the stuff were not that great. If she gain a few pounds, she would just sweat them off next work out session. Lily smiled when she finally saw the door to her home. They both walked up the steps to the door, Lily turn around to face Roy.

"Well, this is my stop. I had a great time kicking your butt and taking the reward of food from you." Lily said

"Maybe we should do this soon. I may even beat you next time." Roy said

"Ha! Not likely. Well, see you later, Roy!" she said

She was about to turn the knob when the door itself open on it's own and they were meet with a sight of Mary and Leo at the door, smirking.

"See, I told you sooner or later Lily would fall for Roy's charm. You owe me fifty bucks, Mary," said Leo

"I owe you nothing, Curve," Mary said to him before looking at Lily and Roy,"I see your back and with Roy too. So, did you guys kiss yet?"she asked, smirking.

Lily redden twice today, "No, we didn't, Lucas! I just kicked his ass after he made a bet about food, I won, no kissing involved at all."

"Well, if you guys go out again, I approve," smiled her friend

"Here, here,"

Lily shoved both of them back inside and turn to Roy again, who seem to be enjoying the conversation.

"I will see you back at work on Monday." she said before going into her house, shutting the door.

Once inside, Lily put her little gym bag on the couch before facing her friends.

"I'm off to take a shower and I better not you chasing after Roy and trying to kidnap him."Lily warn them

She turn and walked into her bathroom.

"Spoil sport," mumbled Mary

----

Author Notes: You may be asking yourself these questions: Who is Adrian? What did he do or did not do to Lily? Why is Lily still eatting chilie dogs before going to bed?(Don'r anwser that) And why did Mary and Leo have a bet with Roy and Lily? That one I can answer, they are nuts. The first two are important! But, it's up to you to solve it before time runs out! Meaning next chapter. Hey, if someone get's it right on the dot, next time they review, they can pitch an idea for the story and I will use it. Maybe even use it as a filler or just a fun one. Remember, get it right, I mean get it right, you can get your own chapter here! Good Luck!


	8. A Day Off

Disclaimer: I won nothing of Full Metal Alchemist, just using them for my own needs.  
----

"Your what!"

"You heard me."

"No, no, I will not allow it. Not ever!"

"C'mon, it will be fun! You will probably meet some new friends!"

"No means no!"

"God, since when did you care about this sort of thing?"

"Since you came here,"

"Man, what crawled up your butt and died?"

Mary and Leo stood still as they watched their friend storming out the room, slamming her bedroom door. They shruged their shoulders, not knowing what to do next. Inside the bedroom, Lily stumped to her bed, cursing unintellegent words under ehr breath. She used alchemy to seal off the door, preventing from her so called friends from getting inside. Once that was done, she fell onto her bed, holding a random stuff toy to her chest as she recall what had happen nearly an hour ago.

She couldn't believe that they wanted to throw a meeting or "party" for their stupid, stupid club! In her own house! She even yelled at them to find somewhere else to do it, but they reminded her that this was the only place they could stay. When in the hell are they going to leave? Probably until one of them marries Roy...Hey, Leo and Roy sort of made a cute couple. Hey! What the hell was she thinking? Leo and Roy! She hit herself on the head, trying to get that weird and absurd idea out of her mind. Gross, gross, a million times gross!

But the thought of a club meeting here was absurd as the first one. Who in the world would want that slim ball? Probably just a few people from work or some crazed loonies. She snickered when she thought that it may be a long lost relative of Mary's. She sighed when she looked at the clock on her nightstand, it was nearing midnight and she needed sleep for work the next day. She only hope that there was some big paperwork that had to be done tomorrow, to only keep her there at the office, waiting the club meeting out. With that, she fell into a deep sleep.

----

Lily stretch out her unused muscles as she got out of bed the following morning. She bend backward, almost touching the ground behind her. After she was done, she pulled on her uniform, making sure it was secure, she walked out of her room. She barely spoke to Leo and Mary, she just got a breakfast bar and went out of the door.

Mary raised an eyebrow at her friend's back as she walked out. She drummed her fingers against the kitchen table. Leo looked up form his oatmeal and glanced at his female friend, seeing the look on her face.

"Hey, I know that look. What are you planning?"he asked

"Oh,"she was snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Leo,"Nothing. I'm just thinking about Lily. I think something is wrong with her."

"Well, we did came to her home without notifying her, we barged into her office, we have been leaving off of her salary, and we are just taking advantage of her."he said, listing the reasons on his fingers.

"Yeah, yeah, don't you think I know that already? It's just that I think Lily has changed somewhat. She can do alchemy without circles, she is just like Roy in the ways of always getting the opposite sex chasing after her. When is the last time she has been la-"

"Mary,"Leo interrupted her,"This is a teen story. We don't want to get the kids who read this in trouble with their folks and we have to die and be forgotten?"he asked

"Yeah,"she sighed,"Stupid author."

"Hey!"

"Hey, what?"

"I got an idea!"exclaimed Mary

"Let's forget about the whole club and get real jobs!"

"..."

Both Leo and Mary busted into laughter. Mary stopped and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"But seriously, we can do something to cheer her up."

"Yeah, how about we set up a date with her and Havoc?"suggested Leo

"Nah, that joke is getting old."

"Yep."

"We need to think of something but nothing comes to mind,"complained Mary

She closed her eyes shut and concentrated as she tried to think of something. She finally thought of something and yelled out.

"Brain blast!"

"Wrong show, honey."

"Oh, yeah...Anyway, I finally thought of something! But we need a little help from a little former librarian."Mary had a smirk on her face that could drive the devil away.

----

Sheska yawned as she got up from her little snooze when she heard her door being pounded on. Her body was a little stiff after falling asleep on heavy books. She fixed her glasses before opening the door. Who she saw made her scream and hid herself behind the door, starring at them from the crack of the door.

"G-go away!"Sheska exclaimed

"Wow, we did a little number on her didn't we?"Leo asked his friend

"Yeah, whatever. Sheska, we are Mary and Leo, Lily's friends."

"I know who you are. What do you want now?"she asked

"We need some information on some stuff and who better to ask then the person who reads a lot of books,"Mary said before sliding a book between the crack

"It's a peace offering."

Sheska nearly fainted at the sight of the book in her hands,"Prayers of the Alchemists! This hasn't been out yet!"she yelled, her eyes filled with tears of joy.  
"We ask around. Can we come in now?"asked Mary

Sheska nodded and open the door for them, letting them in. Leo whistle at the sight of thousands upon thousands of books all over the place.

"Man, girl, do you even own a book shelf?"

"I do...it's somewhere."

"Later, we are really going to help you find your furniture and maybe even your kitchen."he said

"Um, what do you need anyway?"Sheska asked

"Well, we were thinking of making out alchemy for Lily to cheer her up. But we don't know how to. So, got any books on it that we can possibly read in an hour or less?"asked Mary

"I think so, I will be right back."she said before disappearing between the books.

She came back a few minutes later, carrying a stack of books in her hand. Leo gladly took them from her when she started to struggle with them.

"Thanks,"

"No problem, happy to help."she smiled

With his free hand he grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles softly, earning a blush from the woman.

"Maybe next time we can have some lunch together sometime."he suggested, smiling

"I..I...Sure..."she said softly

He smiled at her before walking out with Mary who had a small smile on her face.

"Your sure a charmer, Leo."

"I know, that's why you love me."  
----

"'The Alchemist's Classic', 'The Alchemist's Harmony Book', 'The Book of Prescriptions of Alchemy', and 'Alchemical Meditations of Harmony'. Do you think we find what we need in these?"asked Leo from the chair in the living room.

"I think so. Just read and read, my personal worker! We need to do this before Lily comes home!"yelled Mary

"Do I get paid for my work?"

"Yes, you get paid in gold! Millions and millions gold coins!"joked Mary

"Ha ha,"Leo stuck his tongue at her before returning to the books.

Leo hummed a quiet tune under his breath as he read through the boring books, casually flipping through the pages.

"Hey, Mary, got a little question for you."

"Sure, shoot."

"If we are going to go through with this, what about the club meeting?"he asked

"Oh, I reschedule that for next week. Now, we have to stick with Lily tonight and wait 'till another day."Mary said

"Uh huh."

It was an hour later before Mary happily jumped for joy as she found what she was looking for.

"Bingo! Found it!"she exclaimed

"Finally, I thought I would die before we found anything."

"Let's get to work, Mr. Curve!"  
----  
Lily sighed as she shoved her key into it's right place, turning the handle, she walked into a dark house. She set her bag on the floor and looked for any signs of her friends.

"Hello?"she called out

She screamed when the lights suddenly came on and Mary and Leo were in front of her. She had her hand clutching her chest as her heart speed up.

"Don't do that!"she warned

"Do what?"asked Leo, innocently.

"Scare me like that!"

"Well...we have something that can both cheer you up and forgive us."said Mary

She reached behind her back and pulled out a rather large box wrapped in shiny paper. Lily raised an eye brow at them as she held the box in her hands.

"What is it?"

"Open it, silly pants."

Lily sighed and brought the box to the kitchen table and tore the paper off, inside was a blue box. She lifted it and almost screeched in joy at what she saw. Inside was a pair of black, high heeled boots that could reach one's knees, a dark green and black corset made out of silk, and finally a black mini skirt. She twirled around and hugged both of her waiting friends.

"Thank you, guys! It is the best 'forgive us' gift I have gotten from you two!"she exclaimed before something in her mind.

"How did you afford it?"she asked, letting them go.

"We didn't buy it. We made it with alchemy!"answered Mary

"Wow, I'm very impress."Lily said, looking at the clothing again.

"Yeah, we borrow some books from Sheska and made it with a few scarps of clothing laying around."said Leo

"But, where am I going to wear this?"asked Lily

Both Leo and Mary had a cheeky grin on their face,"You'll see. Now, put them on and let's go out!"  
---

Leo and Mary dragged the confused Lily to a dancing club called 'Transmute', off the edge of Central. Once they were inside, Lily was almost blinded by the flashing lights in the dark place. It was packed with people. Some of them were dancing while a DJ played, or hanging out upstairs, or at the bar. Mary went off to get some drinks while Leo and Lily found a table for the three of them. As they waited, Lily couldn't help looking at the group of girls around the area, pointing and whispering about Leo.

"Man, you sure are a ladies man, Leo. I'm so jealous."Lily said, smiling.

"Yeah, I can't help it if I'm so good looking."Leo waved his hand at a group of girls, they giggled.

"Here you guys go,"said Mary, handing them drinks in colorful glasses.

"Thanks,"they both said as Mary took her seat next to Leo.

A few more drinks, they were having a conversation about...let's say...how the author can't think of something, when Mary stopped and turn her direction behind Lily, a smiling was soon on her face.

"Well, well, it seems some one is checking out Lily."she said

"Wait, what?"asked Lily

She turn her head where Mary was pointing and let out a small squeal and turn her head back around and tried to hide her face.

"Don't look, don't look."she mumbled under her breath.

"Why, isn't it my favorite little alchemist."a familiar voice said behind Lily.  
Mary and Leo turn to see a man with slicked back hair and tied in the back. He had on a pair of black pants and a dark blue button down shirt, and finally a long black trench coat.

"Don't I get a little 'hello', Lily?"he asked

"You know this guy, Lily?"asked Leo, glaring at the man.

"Yeah, this is...Rick, from the Alchemy Exams."Lily said softly

"Hey, Lily, why isn't your boyfriend here?"asked Rick

"Boyfriend?"Mary and Leo looked at Lily.

"Yeah, her legendry boyfriend, Roy Mustang."he said for her.

Mary smirked at Lily,"I knew you liked him."

"Shut up,"Lily growled at her.

"I guess he is not here then. So, Lily, how about a dance with little old Ricky?"Rick smirked

"No way, Master. Now, I wished I hadn't saved you that day."she said

"Oh, come on now. Just one little dance, that's all I ask."he leaned over her

She sighed,"Fine, if it will shut up and leave me alone."she took his hand and was brought up from her chair.

"Trust me, after I'm done with you, you will be begging not to go."he whisper in her ear.  
---

True to her word, Lily only dance with Rick for only one song. During that time, he tried to grab what he shouldn't have grabbed in the first place, if they weren't in a public place, she would have slapped into the next dimension. She stayed mostly on the dance floor, dancing with other men, not caring who they were. She only stopped to have something to drink, replacing the fluids she lost on the dance, and talking to her friends when a bad song came on. But the strange trio had a few dances together, laughing at the strange dances the others did.

It was nearing midnight and Lily was lost in the music as she danced by herself, Mary and Leo watching her from their table. They never seen Lily so...happy like this in a long time. It must because of her new job taking most of her energy out in a single day. Leo notice something, he hit Mary in the arm to get her attention, she notice it too. Inch by inch, Lily's new shoes were coming undone. They cast each other a worried glance before returning to Lily. Their eyes nearly popped out their sockets when they saw Lily falling down when the high heels broke, sending her to the ground. Before they could anything to help, a horror filled screamed filled the dance club.  
---

The door to Lily's home slammed open and it's owner stormed in, now dressed in long black trench coat. Her mouth was clutched as well as her fists at her side. her two friends followed in behind her, one closing the door behind them.

"Look, Lily, we are extremely sorry for what happen. We didn't know it would."said Mary

"Thank God that Rick let you borrow his coat before anyone could see."explained Leo

Lily stopped and turn sharply to face her friends.

"You both know that everyone saw me...me..."she tried to spit out her words.

"Naked?"

"YES! Your stupid alchemy created clothing just suddenly gave out in almost hundred of people to see."Lily fumed

Mary and Leo both flinched,"We are extremely sorry, Lily, we truly are."

"We will do anything to make it up to you. Hell, we can even sneak into newspaper building and make sure no article mention your lack of article of clothing."Mary suggested

Lily sighed, walking to a window, she pulled the curtain open and wasn't shock to see men outside there.

"Come on, take your top off again!"

"Yeah, baby!"

"We love you!"

Lily clapped her hands together and placed them in the window. Outside the house, the sidewalk turn into a cement wave, hitting the strange men (probably from the club) almost about fifty yards from her house and turn back to normal. She closed the curtain and turn to her friends.

"As for your punishment for what you have done to me, you have to clean my house for now one, do the cooking, the laundry, washing the windows, and do whatever you have to do. And finally, make sure no more weird guys come here like the others did, and get rid of them by any means possible. Got it?"she demanded

"Yes, ma'am."they said in union  
When Lily nodded and went into her bedroom for a few hour of sleep, Mary turn to Leo.

"Now, that she is gone. Let's go sneak into the newspaper factory and see nothing in there mentions anything about Lily."she smirked

"Yay! Let me get on my spy gear!" Leo yelled happily.  
---

Author notes: YAY! Leo in spy gear! Sorry, about that. I hope people like the chapter with mostly about Mary and Leo when Lily is gone to work. Well, we saw Rick again, and not in dream from, even Lily wanted that way. Poor, poor Lily, being naked in a dance club, for shame.


	9. Drunk Vader

Disclaimer: I own nothing of FMA and I'm sad it ahd to end. I want the movie! More Roy hottness I need!

----

And there it was, the day of the now official (approved by Roy Mustang) first club meeting. Every day as filled with Lily getting phone calls from other club members, asking what time it was being held, what to bring, and how to get there. It seem like more people were coming in from other towns besides Center. During the week, Lily stocked on some Aspirin bottles, some magazines, and strong duty ear plugs. Wether Mary was going to cry or not, Lily was not going to be in the meeting for that day.

Lily yawn, stretching her arms above her head as she walked out the bedroom door. Dressed in only a pair of boxers with hearts on them and a tee shirt, she made her way to the kitchen. She poured herself some cereal and coffee and sat the table where Mary was currently reading a book.

"What are you reading, Mary?"Lily asked after a few spoonfuls of cereal.

"Some one from the club sent me in the mail. It's a biography she wrote on Roy Mustang. It's pretty good but she does not know what is his favorite color, food, and even what size boxers he wears."Mary said

"You know his boxer size?"she asked

"No, Leo does."

"Should have known. Speaking Leo, where is he?"the blonde woman asked

"Well, last time I know, was at Sheska's. Man, they were making so much noise that I couldn't even sleep last night."Mary said simply

Lily nearly choked on her food,"What!"

Her friend looked over her book, smirking,"Just kidding. He is in the shower."she gesture to the bathroom.

"So, are you coming back home after work for the meeting? You are a member you know,"Mary pointed out.

"No, I got some paper work I didn't do yesterday and Roy wants me to do it before this weekend."Lily lied

"Ok, just pick up some soda after your done after your done doing this "paper work" business."

Lily sighed from her side of the table, just wanting to go before Mary decides to put herself in her crazy mode.

---

The day started just like any other day at the office. Lily had to write more reports and anything Roy gave her to do. Her co-workers, not Riza and Roy, trying to flirt with her. Though, it was sort of cute seeing Kain blushing wildly and failing at any attempts. But, as the day went by, Lily couldn't help glancing over at Roy every few times. Not to goggle at him like Mary and Leo would do but making sure he was okay. He seemed quiet all though the day, not acting totally like himself. She couldn't help not feeling concern about the main obsession of her friends, even if Roy was a complete jack ass to her some times.

It was now time for everyone to leave for the day. Lily quickly finished her report, she grabbed her bag just as the last person left, Roy himself. She hurried up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

"What is it, Marshall?"he asked, turning to face her.

"Sir, I know that it is not my place to ask but...Are you alright?"Lily asked

"Why do you want to know?"

"Well, you seem down all day, like something is putting you down. What is it?"she asked

"Nothing you need to know about, Marshall. Just go back home before your friends get worried."And with that, Roy was gone.

---

It was now night time and Lily was walking back from a little cafe just a few blocks from her home. The club meeting should be starting at any time now, hopefully she could sneak pass them and go to her room and read a good book until they were gone. And just hope that they don't make a big mess afterwards, or else Leo and Mary will have double chore duty. She stopped dead in her tracks as she passed a tavern, she saw an extremely familiar person at the bar. Roy Mustang herself. With a strong curiosity, she walked into the bar and headed straight to Roy.

"Roy? Is that you?"she asked

He lifted his head at her and a huge grin showed up on his face. In a instant, she found herself under Roy's arm as he gave her a little noogie.

"Hey, Little Lily!"he exclaimed

She pushed herself off of him and looked at him with a confused look on her face. The Roy she knew would never do that, not even for her. That means he is...

"Roy, your drunk. You need to snap out of it, your not acting yourself."Lily said

"I swear to drunk I'm not God! Come on, sit and have a few drinks with me."Roy smiled, patting the stool next to him.

"I know what will happen if I do. I will get drunk and the next morning I have a hang over and in bed with you, naked."she said

He grin,"Is that a promise? Your are a little kinky flower aren't you?"

She blushed,"W-what?"

"I know you like me, it's written in your face. Come on, go on and take a seat by loveable Roy."

Her face had a look of serious and anger. She reached out and pulled him out the seat by his ear.

"The only place I'm going is taking you back home."she nearly growled out.

---

Sheska was startled when someone knocked of her door, she fixed her glasses and walked to the door. Once she open it, she was surprised at who she say. There stood on her foot steps were her friend Lily holding onto a very drunk Roy Mustang.

"Oh my God, it's Mustang! What happen to him, Lily?"she asked instantly.

"He is pissed drunk and I need help getting him to his house before he vomits on my cloths,"Lily said plainly

"Ok..."

-----

Lily and Sheska help carry Roy to his apartment, after almost getting completely lost a few times. Now, instead acting like...let's say "flirty" because of the alcohol, he was acting goofy and tried to play with the girls' hair a few times. Finally, they came to the front of his door.

"Um, Lily, how are we going to get in? We don't know where his keys are."said Sheska

"I know where they are but they are in a naughty place that young kiddies should not know of,"Roy laughed

"I already got that cover,"she completely ignore Roy,"Just hold onto him for a bit."she put away Roy's arm from her shoulder.

Sheska almost fell over with the sudden weight. Lily clapped her hands together and placed one on the handle, in a flash of red light, she turn the handle and open the door. Both girls were stunned at the look at Roy's apartment. Inside were piles of old newspaper, a few stacks of boxes with cold pizza instead, and several cans of beer around the room.

"Come on, let's get him inside before one of his neighbors come out and see us,"Lily order

She cleaned off a chair and helped Sheska place him there. Lily sighed as she looked at the terrible mess in the apartment, it was a surprise that a person like Roy could live here.

"Help me find his bedroom so he can sleep."she said over her shoulder.

Sheska nodded and searched for a door to a bedroom. Once they found it, the bed sheets were complete dirty, like they have not been washed for week. Sheska was about to get some more but Lily used alchemy and cleaned the sheets and made the bed itself. She and her friend found Roy passed out on the chair, almost falling off, they carried Roy into his bedroom, careful not to trip over the stacks of papers on the way, they set him on the bed and both sighed in relief when their task was done.

"We need to get his gloves off of him,"Lily said

"Why?"

"Because he is known as the 'Flame Alchemist' for creating fire with his gloves and his is drunk and he may cause a explosion with his beer breath. It's for his and our protection."she explained

"Oh, heh heh, I knew that,"Sheska blushed in embarrassment and began to take his gloves off without waking him.

"C'mon, let's go and clean his apartment before we trip over something."Lily said

----

Cleaning up his apartment took shorter then they thought. Lily used her alchemy to transmute the trash into crushed cubes and placing them in bags. Sheska helped by cleaning up some stains, the tougher ones were Lily's doing. Finally, the apartment was cleaned up, at least clean to their standards. Now, Sheska and Lily sat together on the little lumpy couch, both tired from all the work they have done.

"I got a question for you, Lily. Why didn't you bring Roy to your apartment?"the brown hair woman asked

"If you don't remember, I live with two wild and crazed Roy Mustang freaks and they now invited people over who share that interest. Now image if you will, if Roy came into my apartment, full of his groupies, do you think they will act normal? He is like a piece of meat and they are hungry animals."Lily said.

"Oh, I see. Why don't we call up Riza to help us?"Sheska asked again

"She would probably dump his head in a bucket of cold water and whack his head until he is normal or dead. But, all he needs is a good sleep and be well taken care of. He needs it."she said

Lily turn her head when she heard Sheska yawning.

"You should get back home now, you will need to sleep."Lily said

"What about you?"

"I will be fine. I will stay here for only a few more hours and make sure Roy has plenty of buckets to barf in when he wakes up. And besides, it's a good excuse to wait until Mary's party is done and over with."she said, getting up from the lumpy couch.

"Ok, I will see you later, Lily!"Sheska said, walking out the door.

Once she was gone, Lily looked towards Roy's kitchen,"Let's see what he has in stock."

---

Lily chopped at the tomatoes on the chopping board she found hidden under a few books in Roy's kitchen. Luckily, there was plenty enough food in there for making a small dishes of food, the others had gone rotten over time. She threw the cut up slices in the salad bowl next to her. She went to the boiling pot of soup and made sure nothing was burnt, it wasn't. She grabbed a wooden spoon and tasted some of it.

"Needs more spinach."she said out loud to herself

She grabbed the last few spinach and began to chop away at them. Lily dropped the knife as she felt a pair of strong arms circling her waist and pulling her against a strong chest.

"Hello, my little flower,"she instantly knew who that voice belong to, Roy Mustang.

She turn herself in Roy's arm and looked at him, face to face. She looked into his dark eyes and saw they were still dilated, he was still drunk, maybe not as before with the help of sleep, but still.

"What are you doing up? You need to go back to sleep and rest."Lily said

"I can't, not with a good-night kiss,"he smirk

'_I don't think he is drunk anymore, maybe someone switched his brain with Rick's. Or maybe it's lack of memory, how knows, just act the serious one here and get him off of ya.' _Her inner mind spoke.

"Roy, you need to let go of me right this minute and go back to bed, or else I will have to use extreme force."Lily said

"Oh, feisty, I love that in a woman."

_'Why isn't he backing down! Hit him! Hit him where it hurts!'_

She sighed,"Fine, one little kiss and you will let go and you will go to bed?"she asked

When he nodded, Lily took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She couldn't believe she was doing this! She kissed him softly on the lips, quickly as it came. Still, Roy wasn't letting go of her.

"Roy...I did as you ask and you still have not let go of me."she said

"That wasn't the type of kiss I was talking about..."

Before she knew what was happening, she felt Roy's lips on her with extreme force, like he was trying to swallow her whole. Lily tried to get him off but he won't budge. He bit gentle on her bottom lip, trying to gain access to her mouth. She could hear her own heart beating wildly against his chest. She closed her eyes as her sense of judgement disappear and let her body do all the work. She let her own tongue battle against Roy's, like they were fighting for territory. They were at it for a few minutes until the cursed judgment part of the brain decided to pop in for a quick hello. Lily pulled Roy off of her, her breath coming into pants.

"Roy..."she spoke softly,"Your drunk, we can't do this. It's not right. Go to bed, while you have your dignity in tact."

When he still didn't budge from the spot, Lily grabbed his arm and dragged him into his bedroom. She help him lay down in bed and Roy was already pass out again. She smiled weakly and put the covers over his body. With one finally glance at his sleeping form, she walked out the apartment.

---

When Lily came back to her own home, she wasn't surprise to see Leo and Mary both putting paper plates and other garbage in trash bags. It was like a herd of bull ran through there, instead of a party.

"So how many people showed up?"Lily asked, annoying her entrance.

"Oh, heya Lillian. It was less then hundred, more then we expect. We almost had a war break out when all the sodas ran out." said Mary

"Luckily, no one was hurt or dead."Leo tied the bag together when it was full.

"Where were you, Lily?"

"I was...out. I went to the local library and accidentally slept on a book on cooking."she lied

"I better get to bed before I pass out. 'Night guys!"Lily called as she enter her room.

"Man,"started Mary,"We better find out before this chapter ends-"

---

Authore Notes: Haha, fool you Mary! I beat you before could finish(Mary is grumbling in the background). Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter. Sorry we couldn't see the club meeting. But wasn't Lily and Roy's enough for you? Anyway, the next chapter is going to be serious and maybe some humor from Mary but serius it will be. Don't worry, we will have some humor later on, but not right now. Please review!


	10. No Rest For The Fallen

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Full Metal Alchemist, blah blah! You know the drill.

Author's note: Ok, weird change for me to put this on top, but I got a good explanation. At the end, I really, really don't want to ruin a good moment. You want to know what, I'm shaking right now, because I had to make the ending. It maybe that is' cold in my room or it's because I never written anything like this. A warning for you, this chapter contains some strong language and violence. If you want, you can skip this chapter, but I know you don't want that. Just a warning for all of you. And please, please, don't hurt me after this. Now, on to some good reading!

* * *

A figure of a young woman, no older then sixteen, ran through the desert streets of Central, her red hair blowing behind her. Tears dripped from her green eyes as she tried to run away from whatever she left behind. Her clothes were in treads, dried blood around the edges of the fabric, old cuts laid beneath. She had to get away, she just had to. She wish there was someone near by, but as he told her the first day, no one would hear her or come to her aid. But it couldn't hurt. She tripped over a rock and winched when she landed the hard concert. She looked up when she heard foot steps coming.

"Please, have mercy...What do you want with me?"she asked, her voice dried when she grabbed the pant leg of the person.

"God has no mercy for the wicked."

Sadly, no one was around to hear her high pitched screams.  
---

Lily groan as her hand hit the side the alarm clock, sending it to the ground. She rolled over on her stomach and pulled her blanket over her head. She didn't move when the door to her bedroom creaked open and two heads popped in.

"Wake up, sleepy head!"yelled Mary, as her and Leo walked in, carrying a tray of food.

"Leafve meh alohne, needth sleethp."Lily's mumbled words came from the bed.

"But we got breakfast for you!"her friend exclaimed

"Feh. The breakfast can go to hell for all I care."she said, lifting her head a bit.

Leo looked on the brink of tears. Mary put the tray of food on the desk and jumped up and landed on top of Lily's back.

"C'mon, Lily! I know how you love Leo's cooking. You need to get up before Roy punishes you. You know, I can take your place for that."Mary said

"Get off my back!"Lily tried to yell

"Not until you promise me to get up and go to work, you lazy girl."she said, using her foot and moving Lily's head side to side.

"Fine! Just get off!"Lily yelled at the top of her lungs.

Mary stuck her tongue at her before jumping off the bed. Lily let out another groan and sat up in bed. Leo handed her the tray of breakfast and watch her nearly shove it down her throat. Once everything was gone and she took the last swig of juice, she looked at her two friends.

"You know the only reason I put up with you two living in my home is that I'm too busy to clean up."she said  
----

Everyone was waiting patiently, some were taking naps, for Roy to return. It seem him and mostly all of the top ranked officers were called in for a extremely important meeting. He was gone for over half an hour now, some of them tried to guess what was happening but some of them were too weird to believe. Breda was currently making a bucket full of paper footballs and flicking them at different objects and people in the room, Lily already got hit twice in the head. Everyone looked up when finally Roy came back from this important meeting. He sighed as he sat down at his desk and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Are you alright, sir?"asked Riza

"Yes, but I have some good or bad news, just how to see it, for all of you,"Roy sat straight in his chair,"It would seem Major General Master's daughter was kidnap two days ago on her way to a friend's house. We finally got a letter from the kidnapper saying if Master wants to see his daughter alive, he would have to an extreme amounts of money. The Führer wants only the top people in the military to work on this kidnapping case, and we are the chosen few."

"Wow, that is a lot of work. What do we have to do?"asked Havoc

"We have no idea how long but we hope before the girl turns up on the streets, dead,"he said

"We may have to stay over time. So, if any one of you wants to get out now, too bad, your staying."Roy added

"Now, get to work!"  
---  
It has been a few hours since everyone was working on this kidnapping case. Nearly everyone was wanting to quit for the day and go home before they collapsed from exhaustion. All the learn from the case was that the girl's name was Alexandra "Lexi" Master, age was sixteen, had red hair and green eyes, and was heading to her friends house before she got capture. Everything made Lily think, everyone nearly loved her and her family, no one was there when she was taken in broad daylight at that, and she could be relative to Rick Master.

It was night time down when Roy finally let everyone go home, Havoc and Kain were both asleep on their desks as well. Lily yawn and placed the files they were allowed to take home for further studies. She followed everyone out the door, taking a sharp corner to the public phone there. She dialed her own phone number and waited for someone to pick up.

"Hello, Mary Lucas speaking. How may I help you on a joyful Roy Mustang day?"Mary's voice was heard

"Hey Mary, it's me, Lily,"she spoke

"Lillian, darling! I was getting worried sick of you. Was Roy being too tough on your punishment for you?"she could hear the smirk in her voice.

"No, I'm calling in to tell you I will be even more late coming back home tonight. We have a big case going and Roy is working us to the bone, seriously. I want to know if you want

anything from the store before it closes."Lily said

"Sure thing, sweets. Get some soda, rice, fresh bread, pasta, chocolate, and something special for yourself as well."Mary listed off

"Ok, sure thing. I will be home in an hour. Bye-bye, Mary."Lily hung up the phone.

She turn around and jumped and let out a small scream when she saw who it was behind you.

"Holy crap! Roy...don't sneak up on me like that ever again..."she breath, holding her hand to her chest.

"You seem more jumpy then usual. What is going on?"Roy asked

"I'm just tired from the case, that's all. If you excuse me..."she move to go but Roy grabbed her hand.

"Before you go, I need to give you something."he said, handing her a piece of paper.

"It's my home phone number. It's only for when there is an extreme emergency. The Führer want's everyone on this case to have connect with a high superior if they see something of the unusual."Roy explain

"Thanks, I will keep on hand. I will see you later."Lily said, putting the paper in her pocket.  
She move out of Roy's way, walking down the hallway. She stopped and turn around when she heard Roy calling her name.

"Oh, by the way, your salad is delicious."he smirked and walked the other way.

"Oh, bullocks,"she mumbled as her cheeks became red,"he remembers. I hate my life..."  
---

Lily was looking about in the little corner store near the office, a basket at her side with all kinds of different food products. The store was nearly empty, most people would rather be at home with their families then go shopping. And here was Lily, getting food for her friends and herself as a quick snack run. She jumped when she heard someone knocking down a display of can soups. Some of the customers, including herself, went over and helped the man that had knocked them over. Lily looked up at the man, he looked anxious for something, almost twitching. Lily wonder about the man as the final can was put up, and everyone went their separate ways. Lily watched the man get the rest of his food and practically ran out when everything was check out. She sighed and went to do the same.

Later that night, Lily was walking back home, the single bag of food in her arms. It was deserted on the sidewalks, Lily was alone expect for the few tabby cats running around. She hummed a little tune to get rid of the eerie silence around her. She was too caught up in her humming, that she didn't notice a figure running towards her until both her and the figure were knocked down to the ground, the bag of food thrown backwards. Lily shock her head, clearing her vision and saw who or what she collided with. There sat a figure of a young woman, her red hair in wild tangles and knots. She looked to be crying. She grabbed hold of Lily once she stood up.

"Please, you got to help me! He...he is crazy!"she cried

"Woah, woah, calm down,"Lily helped the poor girl up.

She saw the girl's clothes were ripped up, dried blood stained her white shirt, and her blue jeans dirty as well. Lily recognized the girl but she couldn't pin point from where.

"Now, tell me, in deep calm breaths, what is your name?"she asked

"Lexi...Lexi Master."she spoke softly.

There, now she remember! Lexi was the girl everyone in the military were looking for.

"Ok, Lexi, my name is Lily. I'm from the State Military, I'm a State Alchemist. Ok, please, tell me who is after you?"Lily asked

"I..I..-"Lexi was cut off when a gun shot was heard, the bullet whizzed by them.

Lily placed Lexi behind her, holding her there. The same man from the store was running towards them, waving a gun around.

"Bring her back! I'm not done yet!"he yelled

Lily glared at the man, she clapped her hands, placing them on the ground. Just before the man would reach them, four stone walls surround him. They could hear him trying to get out by shooting at the walls.

"Come on, let's get out of here before he gets out."Lily order, grabbing Lexi's hand she ran the other way.

They ran a few blocks, both girls huffing and puffing from the run. Lily turn a corner and ran into an alley way. She looked over Lexi, she seem okay expect for the dried cuts on her body.

"Now...tell me...who that guy...is."Lily breathed, catching her breath

"He used to be butler before Father fired him. I never knew Mister Simon could do such a thing.Lexi said, fresh tears running down her cheeks.

"OK, gotcha. Miss Master, you have been gone for a few days, this Mister Simon sent a letter to your father asking for a lot of money for your return. Me and my team are part of this case to find you. I wouldn't have guess that I would find you by myself and not like this."she said

"I see. Didn't you say your name was Lily? Do you happen to be Lily Marshall?"Lexi asked, Lily nodded

"My brother talks a great deal about you."she said

"I knew you had to be related to him,"Lily sighed before turning serious.

"Ok, I need you to do something for me."

Lexi nodded slowly. Lily transmute a trash can lid into a trash can big enough for Lexi to fit in. She help ease her inside and place another big lid over her, before she closed it, she spoke to the scared girl.

"I will be right back, I'm gonna to get some help. If I don't come back in an hour, go to this address,"she handed Lexi and slip of paper,"I got some friends there that will help you. It's nearby and quick to get to. Now, please be quiet 'till then."Lily said

"Good luck."Lexi mutter as Lily closed the trash can.

Lily looked back and forth outside the alley way, making sure this Simon was in the shadows, ready to jump her. Once the coast was clear, Lily ran along the walls of the buildings for a few more blocks until she saw a public phone booth. She quickly ran inside, shutting the glass door. She grabbed the phone, reaching in her pocket for that slip of paper. She dialed the exact numbers on the paper and waited for someone to pick up.

"Come on, come on, pick up, pick up!"she whisper.

Roy groaned as the sound of the phone ringing woke him from his sleep. He shuffled over to the phone, grabbed it, he held it up to his ear.

"Hello?"he asked

"Finally, you pick up!"he heard Lily's voice

"What is it, Marshall?"

"I found her,"she breathed

"Found who?"

"Lexi Master, the kid we have been looking for. Look, someone is chasing after me, probably looking for her."Lily said

"His name is Simon, I don't know his first name. Roy, I really need your help."She sound scared over the phone.

"Ok,"Roy was finally awake now,"Tell me where you are and we will get some men over quickly."He got out a pen and paper.

"I'm at-"

She was cut off when he heard a gun shot and the line went dead. Roy cursed, slamming the phone down. He was about to get out the door when he remember something. He quickly dialed a few select numbers and waited, when the person picked up, he cut to the chase.

"Kain...I need your help..."

---

Lily woke up, her head throbbing in pain. She blinked, trying to get her focus clear the second time tonight. She looked around, she was in what was probably an abandon warehouse, there were a few dusty boxes here and here. She looked up and saw both her arms were dangling from the ceiling, attached by chains around her wrists, spread apart. Where was she? How did she get here?

There in a sudden flash went through her brain as the rushing speed of memories finally came to mind. She remember going home for the night, getting knocked down by Lexi Master, getting shot at, quickly trapping that person and taking Lexi away from there, hiding her in an alley way, then calling Roy, and...and...Simon shooting at the receiver, cutting the line. But then what? Damn it! He must have drugged her before she could react and taken her here. But for what reason? She lifted her head when she heard the sound of foot steps echoing in the ware house.

It was the figure of Simon walking towards her. He was probably older then Roy, she couldn't tell by the crazed look in his face. He was carrying something behind his back.

"You have better let me go, you bastard!"she cursed at him when he was a yard from her.

He didn't listen or spoke."What the hell do you want with me?"she asked, trying to pull on the chains to get free.

"I want you to tell me where the girl is.."he spoke with an eerie calmness.

"And why would I tell you that?"Lily asked

"You will if you want to live to see tomorrow morning."Simon answered

"Do you have any idea who you are messing with?"

"Yes, I do. As my job as a butler, I learn may things about the military members from my employer and it's unique State Alchemist. You see these chains around your wrist, they are to prevent you from using alchemy like you did back outside."he said

"You fucking, ass hole!"she yelled, struggling against the chains to rip his heart out.

"Now, tell me where Miss Master is,"he starred at her.

"Or you'll do what? Hit me with a feather duster?"she sneered

He smirked and brought out a heavy looking hammer from his back,"Now, where is the fun in that?"

Lily yelled at the top of her lungs when Simon swung the mighty hammer, hitting her left arm, she could feel the bones breaking. Her head hung low when he finished. Simon lifted her head and looked straight in her face.

"Tell me where she is,"he whisper

She just smirked at him,"You will have to do better then that."

He growled, he swung the hammer again, this time it hit her belly, she was winded out because of it. Simon placed the hammer on a metal table she didn't notice before. He picked up a long butcher's knife and slashed it across her other arm and then across her stomach. Lily's eyes leaked water and let them fall on her shirt.

"Tell me now!"Simon demanded

"Go. To. Hell."she breathed, still not giving up.

This torture session was nearly thirty minutes in when Simon dropped the knife on the table. Lily was covered in slashes across her body, her left leg was broken as well, her shirt in shreds, and bruises on her face and arms. He had punched her a few times here and there, her lips were very beaten up, blood coming on either lip. Simon was having a tough time trying to break Lily in, trying to make her tell when Lexi was, she didn't mutter a word, expect for cursing at him. He glared at her limp form, grabbing a silver gun from the table, this was the last resort. He walked up to her, lifting her head with the tip of the gun.

"Now, this is your final chance to tell me where she is or else it's bye-bye for you. You know, I don't like to hurt a pretty girl like yourself, it hurts me a great deal."Simon spoke softly to her.

Lily coughed up a little bit of blood as she tried to laugh."Are you trying to hit on me while your torturing me? That's pretty weak, trying to get a date with the girl who are trying to kill."she said

He glared at her before backing away from her, raising the gun towards her head, he prepare to fire."Any last words before you go to the after life?"he asked

"Yeah, fuck you."Lily said

Before he could fire his weapon, a great ball of fire hit the gun out of his hand, burning his hand as well, a bullet went by Lily's head but didn't hit. She looked up and smiled the best she could, which wasn't that great, as she saw who was there. Roy Mustang, his eyes blazing with anger and hatred, had his hand at the ready to snap his gloves together and create blaze of fire. Simon cursed as he held his burnt hand to his chest.

"The Flame Alchemist...I never thought you would be here,"Simon said

"Now, prepare to die!"he yelled, randomly grabbing a knife, he threw it at Roy, who quickly dodged it and sent another flame wave at him.

When he was knocked down, Roy ran up to Lily, lifting her head to look him straight in the face.

"Shit...We need to get you out of here..."he said to her as he tried to pull at the chains around her wrists.

"Roy...I never that I would be glad to see you again..."she spoke softly.

"Don't talk right now, save your energy,"Roy order before tugging at the chains,"Come on, almost there!"

Lily turn her head when she heard the sound of speeding footsteps coming towards them. Simon was running at Roy, the gun at his side.

"Roy! Watch out!"Lily yelled

But he didn't listen and was soon knocked down by the enraged Simon. Lily couldn't do anything but watch as they wrestle on the ground. She did notice that Roy got some few punches in and got hit as well. They were at it until Simon finally had Roy on the bottom, both were battered and beaten. He quickly stood up, pointing his gun at Roy. Before he could fire, Roy swung his leg under him, Simon fell to the ground, Lily felt she had to jump and cheer for Roy. He grabbed the gun and pointed at Simon, huffing and puffing with exhaustion. He was about to fire when...

BANG!

Lily screamed in horror as she watch Roy stumbling around, holding his stomach before falling on the ground, a big circle on blood showed up on his white button down shirt at his stomach area. Simon had pulled out a secret gun from his back and had fired blindly at Roy. She used all the strength she could muster and pulled the chains from the ceiling, bits of ceiling were still attached. She got rid of them quickly and ran over to Roy's fallen form, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Roy...Roy...please...please don't you dare die on me, damn it!"she yelled, trying to keep him awake.

"I'm sorry,"he coughed up blood,"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you like I should."

"No, no, you did, trust me, you did. Just...just hold for one minute and we can get out here alive."she cried

He stroke her cheek,"Promise me you will take care of yourself and your friends."he said softly

"Do not say that like your going to die! Your not, I will not let you go just like that!"Lily begged

"I care a great deal about you! Please, don't!"she yelled

"I do too...I can say that I...I...I-"but before he could finish his sentence, his eyes closed on him.

"No!"Lily yelled, shaking his form to see if he would wake up again.

She hunched over his form and cried her eyes out, not caring if Simon was walking up to her from behind, carrying a long knife, getting ready to strike. Once she sense his presence, Lily stopped crying all together. She lifted herself on her feet, her back towards Simon.

"You hurt the only man I truly cared about..." Lily spoke in a different voice.

She turned her head and Simon almost screamed in fear when he looked into her cold, blood red...eyes.

"I'm going to make your life a living hell."


	11. Pent Up Lust

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Full Metal, just some shirts and etc.

----

"Here, we bury a great man today. Roy Mustang was kind man, always looking out for the little people. But, he didn't take much from anyone, always sticking to his work. He was loyal man and everyone could love him. I would hate to think of the monster of the person that could've taken his life a few days pass. But, he will be surely missed."

Lily looked up from the crowd of people, most of them were crying their heads off. She looked to her side, behind her, and in front of her. Something didn't seem right about this. Something in her gut told this was all wrong, but she didn't know what it was. Roy dead? That make no sense at all! She didn't move when everyone placed their single roses on his coffin before it was buried beneath the ground. Now, she stood alone, facing the coffin. She slowly walked up to it, starring at it's wooden frame. Lily placed the rose, her's was pure white, it stood out among the red ones. Once she did that, red liquid dropped from the white rose. She gasp as she realize it wasn't water but...blood. The roses turn black and crumbled against each other.

In a instant, the coffin had disappear and new patch of grass had replaced the dirt. She saw the tombstone covered in mold. Lily bend down and brushed the fungus away. Instead of saying Roy's name it had...hers. She screamed when bony arms shot out the ground, grabbing her wrist and holding her there. Her breath caught when she saw a head popping up from the ground, it was hers. Her's...it's...skin was stretch over the white bone, one eye was popped out and dangling about, no nose at all, maggots covering through and out of the holes. It was horrifying!

"Come, join us, Lily, this is where you belong."it spoke in her voice.

Lily screamed at the top of her lungs as it pulled her under.

---

Lily awoke to the faint sounds of people talking. She blinked her eyes open and regret doing that because once the bright light hit her eyes, she groaned out in pain. Once she did that, the voices stopped, and she heard the loud sound of two pairs of footsteps. It sounded like two elephants running, it made her head hurt a lot. She blinked her eyes open again, getting used to the light, she nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw the familiar shape of Mary leaning over her.

"Lily! Your awake!"she yelled

She slowly sat up, and rest her back against some pillows. She looked around the room, notice Mary sitting on the bed, Leo standing on the other side, and the room smelled like it had been cleaned several times over, and it was bright as hell with the lights on the ceiling.

"Where am I?"Lily manage to get out, her throat felt raw.

"Central's Hospital,"Leo answer, handing her a cup of refreshing water.

She drank the whole cup down in one shot, her throat felt better.

"How...how long have I been here?"

"A week at the most. You gave us a big scare, me and Mary have been waiting for you to wake up since you got here."he said

"A week!"Lily exclaimed, almost jumping up from the bed.

She leaned back into the pillows again, her temper was back to normal.

"What happen to me? What about Lexi? What about...,"she stopped when realization came,"Oh Lord! Is Roy alright? He isn't dead is he?"

"Woah, woah, one question at a time, Lillian."Leo tried to calm her down.

Mary took the first question."You were brought in here after nearly an army of soldiers found you and Roy, the other crazy guy but he sucks so he does not count, in that warehouse. Man, you were badly beaten up! Bruises everywhere, cuts in places I never seen, and your left arm and leg were broken. But, while you were asleep, your body has nearly healed, probably with a ton of medicines shot in your vein. Your arm will have to be in a sling for a week and your leg is fine, but you may have to use a cane for a week as well, which we already got. It is the sexyness of canes!"she yelled happily.

"What is it?"Lily glared at Mary

"You will be surprised, but it's not a head of Roy. That had to take more then a week to make."her friend frown

"Anyway,"Leo cut them off from their conversation,"The girl you sent over a week ago, Lexi I think, well once she explained to us what happen and who she was, we got her to the hospital and called her folks. Right now, they are hugging her a lot and just fawning over her. Man, that Rick guy sure has a nice ass."he said

"What about Roy?"Lily asked, ignoring the ass comment.

"Roy...Roy...Roy...Why does that sound familiar?"Mary tapped at her chin

"You know who we are talking about, Lucas,"growled out Lily.

"Oh, yeah! He is fine, more then fine. He is still handsome and sexy as ever! Which is a good thing because-"

"Mary..."

"Heh heh, got carried away now didn't I? Anyway, he is perfectly fine. He is in the other room. He woke about two days before you but the doctors still want to look over him. He did get shot in the stomach with a gun. Man, if the creep of a dude wasn't in jail, I will kill him myself for hurting my Roy and my Lily."she hugged Lily around the shoulders.

Lily sighed in relief,"Thank God..."she breathed, her dream was only just as it was, a dream.

"When can I get out of here?"she asked

"In a few days, give or take, depends if your able to walk fine with the cane."Leo said

"Good, I just want to sleep in my nice, comfy bed instead of this one."

"Here, here!"

"Now,"Mary pushed a tray of hospital which was on a cart towards Lily,"Eat it. You need your energy, young missy."

Lily sighed,"The worst thing I hate...hospital food..."

---

The next day, Lily sat alone in her hospital room, after many hours of examination from the doctors. Mary and Leo went back home, on Lily's orders, to get sleep they couldn't really get in the hospital. The cane they had bought had a dark wooden stick, thick and tall enough for her, had the weirdest thing on top, a metal snake's head. They couldn't have gotten her a normal one? But, this was Mary and Leo we are talking about. Lily sat on the stranded hospital bed, bored at her mind! No books were availed, no music to listen to, and no one to talk to. At least when her friends were here, she wasn't bored to death. She turn her head, looking at the cane leaning against the wall. An idea came to mind, but could she do it? Hey, at least it beat dying of boredom.

She slowly got out of the bed, her bare feet were cold against the icy tile, she reached over and got the cane. She almost tumble over but quickly got use to it. Lily put a pair of fuzzy slippers and a blue robe over her hospital gown. She eased the door open, looking around if a nurse or doctor was around, she didn't want to be caught. The coast was clear, she smiled and slipped out her room. She was halfway to her destination when she felt a pair of arms holding onto from the back, making her jump and scream, she swung her cane blindly. She turn around to face who was the culprit, she took a sigh of relief when she saw it was only Rick.

"OW! That really hurt!"he complain, rubbing the sore spot on his head.

"That is what you get when you grab someone from behind,"Lily glared at him

"What are you doing here, Rick?"

"Duh, checking in on my little baby sister. And maybe going to ask a date from a nurse. How are you feeling, Lily?"Rick asked

"Ok, I guess. Been sleeping for the past week and been bored at my mind!"Lily sighed

"How is Lexi?"she asked

"She is good, kind of shaken up after that great deal. But, it could have been worst. She will get better when she gets back home and sleeps."he said

"That's good,"Lily smiled

"She wouldn't be here if it wasn't...for you,"

Before she could react, Rick held her tightly against his chest. He was a lot taller then her so she had her head trapped against his chest. This little good moment was ruin when Lily's eyes widen when she felt a hand touching her butt. She hit Rick on the head with her cane again.

"Ouch, what did I do?"Rick asked, letting go of her.

"Where does it imply that you have touch my ass during a hug? I thought you had changed, Rick."Lily glared at him, twice today.

He smirked,"Sorry, didn't a ruin a good moment for you?"

She blushed, either in anger or embarrassment, she didn't know,"Shut up."

"I got you good, little Lily."he laughed

"Jerk."

Their conversation, more of an argument, stopped when someone cleared their throat behind them. They turn around and was face with the figure of Roy Mustang dressed in blue and white stripped pajama set, the top had few of it's buttons undone, showing off his chest.

_'Couldn't he have fixed himself before going out into the hall? Never mind, this is Roy, that is so like him.' _Lily's inner mind sighed.

"You know this is a hospital not somewhere you can yell like banshees."he said

"Nice to see you to, Roy. How are you feeling?"Lily asked

"Been better,"he shrugged his shoulders.

"Who is he? Your boyfriend?"Roy pointed to Rick.

Rick puffed out his chest,"As a matter in fact I-"

"He's not my boyfriend. He is like...a friend, sort of."Lily cut him off.

"Hey, you can't deny your feelings for me,"Rick said in defense

"Oh, you a sock in it, lover boy."she said

"Oh, that is fresh,"he spoke in sarcasm,"How about the time let me dance with you at the club, you were all over me!"

"Was not! It was a slow dance and I had you at arms length."

"Then how about when Mary's alchemy infused clothes backfire and all your clothes disappear, was it I who gave you clothing, i.e. my jacket?"he pointed out

"For your information-"Lily was cut off by Roy.

"You were naked?"he raised an eyebrow at her.

She blushed and turn to him, forgetting he was still there.

"Yeah, Mary had given me some clothes she made with alchemy and it...backfire."Lily said

"I wish someone would have gotten me a picture of it,"Roy smirked, joking.

"Ditto here, man."Rick said

She was ready to fall over in shock at the two men. Was it just her when she thought that all the men on her life were just bodies filled with testosterone? Well, not Viktor, if he did, that would be weird. And maybe not Leo as well, but he wasn't like Rick and Roy. She knew for a fact that Roy had to be joking and Rick...well, he wasn't.

"You guys are weird..."Lily breathed

She looked at Roy,"I was going to look for you but...you found me. Anyway, I would like speak to you...alone."

"Ooh, that's code word she want's to do a heavy make out session."Rick smirked

"Holy Penquins!"he yelled when Lily crushed his foot with her cane.

"Oh, was that me? I'm so sorry, it will not happen again. Would you like some milk and cookies and maybe a kiss on your boo-boo?"she asked in an innocent tone.

"Actually I wou- Fucking hell!"he yelled again when Lily crushed his foot again.

"You should really get someone to look at that."Lily inwardly smirked.

Roy smirked at the pair before gesturing to another hospital room, which might be his,"Ladies first."

Lily nodded and followed him inside, her cane clacking against the floor. She turn as soon Roy closed the door.

"You look well,"he said

"Yeah, after a week of sleep and a bunch of medicine shot in my veins can do that for you,"Lily sat down on the bed, her feet aching.

"I like the cane,"

"It's not what I had in mind, but Mary and Leo did get it with their own money. All I could is to use it until I can walk on my own again."she said

"I'm surprised you slept for five days after...after what happen."Lily said softly

"Getting shot in the stomach hurts, trust me. But, I did hear that it's the slowest way to die. I really just needed the rest, I could've gotten up anytime I want."Roy smiled softly.

"Smooth,"

There was an big silence around the two, not knowing what to talk about. This lasted only minutes before Lily spoke, her head towards the ground.

"Back there...at the warehouse...thanks for coming,"she said softly before looking up at Roy,"But you really didn't need to."

Roy looked shocked at her statement,"Of course I did. I'm your boss and I have to take care of the members of _my_ team!"he exclaimed

Her eyes turn serious,"Well, I think it's pretty stupid that a high ranked man went into a warehouse, where he knew a dangerous man was, alone!"

"It wasn't my fault that you got caught up in that situation,"he shot back

"Hey, I found the girl, tried to help her, and all I got was being torture nearly to death and this shit!"she yelled, standing on her feet.

"It your choice to come and get me with a whole army of soldiers but no, you had to be the hero and rescue the damsel in distress. I could've beaten that guy up you know."Lily folded her arms.

He laughed,"Don't forgot both your arms were attached to the ceiling,"

Roy walked up to her and stood face to face with her.

"I would've kicked him where it hurt but I couldn't really move my legs, alright? You think it's tough getting shot in the stomach, try getting cut up and having your bones break for nearly an hour and talk back to me!"Lily yelled

"Simon, he...he could've shot you anywhere you know. Your very lucky that he didn't shoot you in the head!"she added

Oh, now you care? Just a minute ago, I thought you hated my guts. Or is this just another mood swing you women have? First you are crying over my body, declaring your love for me and now your yelling like I slept with another girl."Roy said

"I didn't declare my love for you, bastard. I only said that to keep you alive so I can hurt you later."

"Oh, that is rich. You know what, it's not all about you, princess. I have gotten hurt, nearly died, because I thought I could get you to like me, at least not try to murder me in my sleep."he said, now towering over her.

"I would never do that,"she said softly, slightly scared of him now.

"I would think you would if you had the chance. You act all tough because you grew up with a mentor like the Earth Alchemist, come here with his hard earn money you don't deserve, happen to save someone's life and become a state alchemist with the powers to use alchemy without a circle. And then, a few weeks later, save another person. Your just a one trick pony, girl. I feel pity for Viktor for putting you under his roft, feeding you, clothing you, teaching you, and all he got was a snot nose brat! Viktor is a stupid man, alchemist and-"

SLAP!

Roy rubbed his now red cheek, glancing at Lily as she lowered her hand. Tears threaten to leak from her hatred filled eyes.

"I can take it if you call me names but never, ever insult Viktor like that."

She pushed pass him and walked towards the door, she turn to look at Roy.

"Why do you have to be such jerk?" she asked softly

Lily pushed open the doors and stormed out of there. Rick was leaning against the wall, further down the hall, he looked at Lily's retreating form and walked up to her.

"Are you alright, Lily?" he asked

"Just...leave me alone, Rick." she said, wiping her tears away.

"Look, if Roy had hurt you, I can go in and beat him up for you." Rick suggested

"Just leave it."

He grabbed her shoulders, turning her to face him, he looked at her with something Lily was surprise to see from. Concern.

"I will not just not leave it. Tell me what he did, please." he said softly

She sighed in defeat,"It's nothing really. We argue, mostly what we do a lot. I yelled, he yelled back, but now...it got out of hand." she sniffled

"Like what?"

"I hit him, slapped him to be exact. I didn't think...I could've talked it out but I didn't." Lily said

Rick sighed in relief,"I thought he hurt you. But, I think he got what he deserves in the end. No one who messes with the Lillian Anne Marshall I know and lives to tell the tale," he joked

Lily let out a small laugh,"Thanks."

"How about we get you back to your room before the nurses find you out here and not in bed." he smiled

"Sure."

Rick wrapped an arm around her shoulders, holding her against him. Lily laughed at the joke he made about Roy, trying to cheer her up. As they walked, they didn't see the jealous filled eyes.

---

Author's Notes: When you thought Roy was dead...He wasn't! YAY! The dream Lily had may have thrown you off but it wasn't real. I couldn't kill off an important character like Roy because...I do fear you guys, I don't know what you guys would do if I did kill him off for real. And just when you thought Lily would really like Roy, maybe not like Mary but still. But, luckily Rick was there to cheer her up where her friend's couldn't. They couldn't really, they would be tied to defend Roy or help Lily. I never thought Rick would be coming back when I first made him, luckily I named him. Please, please don't threw rotten tomatoes at me because of Rick and Lily getting friendly and Lily slapping Roy. All will be well in good time and yes, Lily and Roy will hook up. But, when, how, and for how long? Those of things I will not tell you. Originally, I wasn't going to have this chapter just filled with the hospital but I'm tired and need sleep. Wait, my beloved reviewer.

On another note: WOW! I'm feeling really happy about all the reviews I got so far. Thirty may not seem much to you but it does for me. I feel so happy! Thank you all!


	12. Dressing Up

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Full metal Alchemist, sadly. I won nothing of it!

----

The next week went by as quickly as it came. Lily was allowed to stay home from work during the week for her injuries. Which was a good thing, she would not like to face Roy after their little "talk". She didn't talk about it with her friends, not wanting them to know anything about it, they would go nuts! Her hurting "their" Roy was a crime against God for them. After she got out the hospital, she had calls from Viktor nearly everyday. He would ask if she was alright, how her body was getting use to the medications the hospital gave her, and if she wanted to go back to Raislen for a little vacation. She would decline to the latter one, but she would promise to visit when the holidays rolled by, or if she had some time to leave Central and not get in trouble for missing a week of work.

Lily woke up from her slumber by something pressing against her bare shoulder, she open her eyes, turn her head around, she was meet by a cheeky grinning Rick. She yawn and rubbed her eyes from the sleep and turn to lay on her back and was face to face Rick, both of their mess of hair was all over the place.

"Good morning, love,"he said, he had his elbow propped on the pillow and looking down at Lily.

"Morning, Rick,"Lily yawned out

"Did you sleep well?"

"Alright I suppose, a bit mentally exhausted,"she said

"Yeah, but I can't get enough you, babe. Last night...was wow...pretty amazing. I don't think I can sit for a week."Rick smirked

"Pretty good for a girl who had broken limbs,"Lily smiled

Rick rolled on top of her and had both his elbows on either side of her.

"You got that right,"

He moved his head downwards and was about kiss her on the lips before Lily stopped him. She smirked and pushed Rick off of her, biting her cheek from laughing when he groan out in defeat. She moved and got out of bed, stretching out her muscles. She moved over to her closet and became to look inside.

"Enough of that, I need to get ready for work,"she explain

"I think that is an excuse to get rid of me,"he joked

Ever since that day in the hospital, Lily and Rick had gotten closer. She had seen a part of Rick that day she never seen before, she was enthralled to know much more about him then him being a pervert, that she thought him as. He was different then all the guys she ever meet. He was nice to kids and animals, was pretty smart, helped around the house sometimes, and was...well, I can't really say that part. Lily first thought they could only be friends but little over a day, something sparked in her to be more then that and Rick was happy with that decision. Lily guessed she must've gotten over the bad boy thing and wanted to settle down with someone who wasn't about to steal a car anytime soon. Their "relationship" was different, at least in Lily's eyes. She didn't mind going out with him, eating dinner with him, or even having him sleep in the same bed as hers. It's just...it felt like something was a missing. No matter what, no matter for long she thought it over, Lily could not see it. Was their relationship just built of love or...lust? She was cut off from her thoughts when Rick threw a small pillow at her head.

"What is it, Rick?"she asked

"I was trying to get your attention but the force had to be issue."Rick sat up, the sheet covering his lower half.

"I was wondering if you are still planning to go to the dinner party my folks will have tonight. Technically, it will be in your honor."he said

"Not sure if I can make it. Today is the first day I go to work since last week. And I haven't really gotten a dress for tonight anyway."Lily said, putting on her uniform.

"Please, come! It will be fun, if not, we can always make it fun,"Rick smirked,"And Lexi is hoping to see you again."

Lily sighed,"I will think about it..."

"I will take that as a yes. Hey, I will even get you a dress for tonight to save you time."he suggested

"Fine, but nothing too revealing,"she warned

"Relax, I will ask Mary and Leo's help on this."

"Now, I fear for my dignity..."

Once every button was popped it, her shoes tied, her hair in a bun, she placed a kiss on Rick's head and walked out the door.

---

Once Lily stepped foot into the building, she felt more at eased somewhere. Maybe because she hadn't been in for at least a week. She walked down the hallway, heading to her correct office room. She just hoped Roy wouldn't be such a prick more then he usually is. She grabbed the knob, turning it, she walked in. What she saw nearly made her jump out of her boots, not expecting something like this! In front of her, Havoc, Breda, Kain, and even Vato held a colorful sign that said 'Welcome Back, Lily!'. She laughed, smiling at them.

Vato was the first one to speak, walking up to her,"Good to have you back, Marshall."

"Good to be back, Vato. What is with the sign?"she asked

"We thought, since you been gone for a week, you need something to keep you here for good, Roy has been.."Havoc looked around,"Well, we has been acting more of a jerk lately since he came back."

'Maybe, because I chewed him out and slapped him.'

"Wow, thanks, I guess. I really wasn't expecting something like this,"Lily confessed, getting off the subject.

"I feel so special."

"Hey, it's better having you coming back then Roy yelling at us for no good reason."said Breda

"I think it was the medication,"she said quickly.

"Yeah, maybe."

Lily turn her attention to Kain, who was quiet since she came through the door,"So, how are you doing, Kain? Is something wrong?"she asked with a soft voice.

"N-no, nothing,"he stuttered

"Oh, yeah,"Havoc piped in,"Didn't you know what Roy made Kain do?"

"No, what?"

He elbow the younger man,"You tell her, yourself,"

"I...I..."he took a deep breath before continuing,"The Colonel called me up and asked me to help me track down the call from the phone booth you had used prior to the capture and pin point where the culprit, Simon, took you."he finished

Lily was shock, hearing this piece of information. She quickly regain her composer.

"So, in a way, you rescue me. Without your help, Roy wouldn't have found me,"she smiled,"I think you earn a special, little award from me."

"A-award?"

She nodded,"Yeah. The hero needs to paid due for his victory."

She walked up to him, bending down slightly, she placed a small kiss on his cheek. Lily heard someone say 'Lucky bastard' but she couldn't pin point who said it. When she pulled back, Kain had bright red cheeks.

"If you keep that up, wouldn't your boyfriend be angry at you?"a well too familiar voice said behind them.

She turn around, her back straight, and was soon facing Roy, standing in the doorway, Riza was behind him. The words he said that day in the hospital room came flooding back to her, she had her hands in safety position at her sides, not wanting to strike him down in public.

"My personal life is no matter to you, Roy. Outside these four walls, whatever happens out there has nothing to do in our work,"Lily crossed her arms across her chest.

"This "four walls" have strict rules on public affection."Roy pointed out

"So? I was merely thanking Kain for helping you find me. Face it, you wouldn't find your way out of a wet paper bag,"she spit out

There was strong electric air waves in both of their eyes, they look if they wanted to kill each other. Lily was the first one to back down.

She sighed,"We can stare at each other all day but I rather do what I came here to do. Work."

And with that, she turn, sitting her at her desk, she began to read through the files on her desk.

---

After a long day's work, Lily rubbed her sore neck as she walked out of the building after many hours of trying to finish up what work she didn't do last week. Luckily, she and Roy didn't have any more evil stares like they did earlier. They just work, not speaking to each other, and what a normal day would be like. As she walked up the steps to her home, she couldn't help feeling like something was going to happen to her, good or bad, she didn't know. She turn the door knob and walked in and almost screamed bloody murder when she saw Leo, looking bored, standing on platform as Mary was bent down on her knees, with needles on her mouth, as she tried to put a needle in a piece of fabric. Leo had on what looked to be a poorly attempt at a tailor suit.

"What are you guys doing?"Lily asked, putting her bag away.

Mary looked up, taking the needles from her mouth, she spoke,"Rick invited us to the dinner party you were going to. I'm trying to finish up Leo's suit..."

"That I haven't worn in five years, I might add,"Leo said, yelping when Mary accidentally poking him in the leg.

"Sorry, finger slipped. Anyway, Rick thought it might be good if we came along, as long as we behave ourselves with the guest."she said

Lily sighed and walked up to Mary, taking the materials from her hands,"Let me do this, Mary. It will be must quicker and the party is only in a few hours."

Mary looked disappointed,"Fine then, ruin my fun."

Lily ignore Mary, clapping her hands together, she placed them on Leo's chest. In a flash of red light, the old and crumply looking suit looked brand new! It was pure black, stainless and wrinkle free slacks and coat. The white shirt underneath was straighten, many of the buttons were in place, the tie turn into gray silk, and finally a rose in his jacket. Lily walked back to see her creation.

"Wow, pretty nice stuff,"said Leo, admiring his new suit.

"Yay! Now do me!"exclaimed Mary

"Fine but no Roy Mustang stuff,"Lily said

"Aww, your no fun anymore!"

---

Finally, after a few hours of make-up and different hair styles, the strange trio was finally ready to go. Leo already had his suit, all he needed to do was...nothing really. Lily help transmute a stylish green, strapless forest green dress with matching shoes and jewelry for Mary, she rather not spend her money on something Mary would probably put crazy stuff on, and last time Mary transmuted clothing, well you know what happen. Thankfully, Rick had came by for only a quick moment to drop off Lily's dress before going back to help out his folks, promising to return later on in the evening. The dress itself was awesome and simple. It was a long red, one strap dress. It didn't reveal much, only below her shoulders in the back and the upper part of her chest. It hugged her every curve and was easy to walk in.

Lily had just finished putting on her lipstick when she heard someone knocking on the door. She slipped into her shoes, getting her small little red purse, she walked towards the door. Opening, she found Rick standing there, looking dashing in his black suit with his red, silk tie.

"Well, don't you look good enough to eat,"Rick smirked

She giggled,"Cute."

He pulled out a single red rose from his back and handed it to Lily,"A rose for my little flower."

He reached over the threshold and slipped the thornless, thankfully, rose behind her ear. Both of them smiled as the rose looked perfect with her golden locks, they were resting against her bare back. Lily jumped when Mary hooked her arm into hers.

"So, are we ready to go?"she asked

"Yeah, the car is just out front,"Rick said, pointing behind his back.

"Super! Now, let's get going!"exclaimed Leo, coming to the other side of Lily.

Lily smiled at her friends as they followed Rick into the car, all four of them getting into the back seat. Once they settled in, Lily heard Mary say something.

"I hope there is a lot of booze at the party,"

---

As the driver pulled to a stop, the trio looked in awe at the grand mansion in front of them. Other cars were also parked outside, as the guests walked inside through the front doors. Rick helped Lily from the car, his arm hooked into hers, the same with Mary and Leo. Once they were inside, Rick lead them into the main hall where all the guest were socializing.

"Dinner will be in an hour, you guys. Your welcome to talk to everyone until then. Just...try not to frighten the guests,"said Rick

"I will be back soon, have to make sure my mom hasn't have a panic attack yet."he said, he kissed Lily on the cheek before walked away.

Mary elbowed Lily in the side,"Psst, marry this guy."

"I'm not marrying him because of money, Mary. If I am, it will be for love."Lily glared at her friend.

"Whatever,"she rolled her eyes.

Mary looked around the room until her eyes spotted something far away from them,"Ooh, me thinks I see a group of giggling ladies! Shall we taint their thoughts of R. M., Mr. Curve?"

"Ooh, me thinks we should,"Leo smiled

"Hey, wait!"

Lily tried to stop them but they were already gone from her sight. She sighed, giving up all hope of trying to stop her friends, it was like trying to stop a incoming train with a chicken. She spotted a little table off to the side with small dishes of food and drink. Lily walked through the crowds of people until she got to the table. Pouring herself some punch in a glass cup, she leaned herself against the table, taking small sips of the fruity drink.

"I see you fully recover,"

Lily turn her head, hearing the voice of the newcomer. Who she saw surprised her. There, in front of her was the Führer himself, dressed in a expensive looking black suit.

"Oh, hello, sir. I didn't see you there,"she said

"It's quiet alright,"

"How are you doing this evening, Miss Marshall?"he asked

"Alright, I suppose. Where is your wife and son at, sir?"Lily asked

"The wife wasn't feeling so well and Selim has school to go to tomorrow."the Führer answered

"I heard you came back from your little vacation to work. I thought it would take longer for you to recover,"

"I guess the medications and the rest helped up a great deal,"she casual sipped on the drink in her hand.

They both turn their heads when they saw Rick walking up to them.

"Ah, there you are, Lily. I was looking for you. Mother and father would like to speak with you,"he said

He turn his head when he notice the Führer standing there,"Oh, hello Bradley, sir."

"Hello, Mr. Master. I will leave you two so you can go. Good day Miss Marshall."he said before turning and walked over to a nameless guest to speak with them.

"C'mon,"Rick wrapped his arm around Lily's shoulder and walked her to the other side of the room.

"Are you feeling alright, Lily? Your face is sorta pale,"Rick pointed out

"I feel fine, it's probably because I'm not use to parties like these, if you know what I mean."Lily said, Rick smiled and kiss her head.

Rick lead her to a group of four people, one of them was Lexi, dressed in a blue dress. The other woman, her reddish hair in a bun on top of her head, she knew it had to be Rick's mother. The man with the gray hair had to be his father, they looked exactly the same, minus the hair color. The other, she didn't know. He looked huge, he stood tall over Rick's father and had a weird hair style on top of his head, a little strand of blonde hair coming out, and a blonde mustache as well. He wore a casual suit and Lily could tell his muscles underneath were threatening to get out. They stopped their conversation when Lily and Rick came by.

"Oh, well speak of the Devil,"began his father,"We were just talking about you."

"I hope it was something good, father,"Rick said

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Master,"Lily said

His mother smiled,"Ah, I see you finally found a girl with manners, Richard,"

"Mother,"both siblings said through their clutched teeth

Lily laugh it off,"Thank you, Mrs. Master."

"Please call me Grace and my husband Robert."

"Oh, where are my manners?"Grace asked herself before gesturing with her hand to the still unnamed male,"Let me introduce you to one of our many family friends, Alex Armstrong,"

"Oh, I heard about you, Mr. Armstrong. You are the Strong Arm Alchemist aren't you? I'm Lily Marshall, please to meet you,"she put out her hand to shake.

He took her hand and shake it like it was rubber chicken as he spoke,"I'm so honor to meet the daughter if the famous Earth Alchemist! It must run in the genes since after your heroic rescue of Miss Master! Like daughter like father!"he finished

Once he was done trying to rip her arm off, she rubbed her now sore arm,"Hehe, thanks I guess. But me and Viktor aren't related, but in a way, you can say he is my father. Not by blood, just in spirit,"she said

"He was a great man, too bad I never really knew him before he retire from the military."Armstrong exclaimed.

Before Lily could speak, a servant of the Master's family spoke above the crowd, announcing it was dinner time.  
----

Lily sat between Lexi and Mary, as they eat the main course. All the guests were busy eating and talking to their neighbors. She would look over at Mary as she sipped on her red wine, she already had five glasses, she just hope Mary wouldn't jump on the table naked. Leo and Rick sat across from the three girls, already engage in a conversation. Lily stabbed her roasted chicken leg with her fork before bring it to her lips. Before she could eat the little piece of meat, she would Robert Master speak something to her.

"Lily, hate to be the bother some but I must know something,"he said at the head of the table, next to Lexi's chair.

"What would that be sir?"she asked, putting the fork down.

"The night that you found Alexandra, after you were also taken by that idiot of a man, what happen? I know that you were, if you forgive me, torture by that madman and then Colonel Mustang got there and got himself injured. What did you do to the Mr. Simon afterwards?"Robert asked

"I...I don't know what you mean,"

"You know, before the military found you three in there. When they got there, they found Simon on the corner rocking back and forth, and you laid over Roy's body,"he explained

"He was nearly half insane."

Lily felt her stomach tightening, as her breath quicken, after Robert said this. No, no, she couldn't drive someone insane like that. She just remembered Roy getting shot, hovering over him, and...nothing. Mary looked over at her friend, her shoulders were slightly shaking. She put her napkin on the table and stood up.

"Excuse me, but I need to use the restroom. Lily, would you like to come?"she asked

Without waiting for a reply, Mary helped Lily out of her seat and help her walk out of the dinning hall. They walked in silence before Mary let them stop. Lily got out of Mary's arms, backing into the wall, she slide down until she reached the ground. Pulling her knees to her chest, hugging them tight to her chest, she just sat there. Mary sighed and sat down next to her friend, pulling Lily's eh ad to lie on her shoulder, she ran her fingers through her hair.

"Ok, Lily, what was the deal with you back there? You look like you saw a ghost,"Mary said

"I...I...How can they think I did that to that man? Him being already insane is one thing but...accusing me for driving him further into darkness of insanity?"Lily asked

"Well, Roy, he couldn't move or else he would kick the bucket. Simon couldn't really do it unless something horrible happen to him before the military arrived. And you were the only one left. It's just a rumor, nothing more."she said

"But...but, I feel like it's true. Something in my gut told me I did it. I drove him insane!"the blonde exclaimed

"Shh, just let your worries go out of the window,"Mary cooed

Mary didn't move when she heard the muffled sounds of Lily's cries against her shoulder. She looked up when she saw both Leo and Rick walking to them, both looking concern at Lily.

"Is everything alright?"asked Leo

"I think Lily needs just to go home,"said Mary

"She is welcome to stay..."suggested Rick

"No, she needs to go home and sleep in her own bed."she said again

"Sure, I will get the driver to drive around,"he said, understanding.

Leo and Rick helped Mary get Lily up. They all walked in silence outside where a car was already to go. They help Lily in, Mary sitting next to Lily while rick and Leo sat on the other side of her. The car drove off and into the night.

Mary kissed Lily lightly on the head,"It's going to be alright, Lily. Your love ones are here."

---  
Author Notes: So freaking sorry for the lateness of this chapter. My life has been a mess ever since my brother got Oblivion and me playing whenever I get the chance. Ok, not a lot of Roy and Lily action going on here before next chapter, there is more, trust me. And after that, one part of a two part chapter series! One is made by me and one by my friend, Taco, who inspire me to make Mary. Anyway, review and read on my friends!


	13. Old Memories of the Crimson Petal

It had been a month since that dinner party. Rick and Lily were still together, always going out together whenever they had the chance. Lily would come over to Rick's grand house to just hang out with him and Lexi or visa versa. The weather was warm now, some of the personal at work at taken off their outer jackets, a light shirt underneath, while they outside. Now, both Mary and Leo were either acting stranger because of the warmer weather or that Lily's birthday was in a week from now. They would run around, getting birthday supplies, shopping for gifts, and all sorts of strange things. But all she wanted for her birthday was being at home with her friends and love ones, and have some gifts as well. What? Can't she act a little greedy on her birthday? It was her twenty-first birthday after all. Everything was fine and dainty for Lily and everyone else until _he_ came.

Lily and the rest of her co-workers, minus Roy and Riza (she was sick today), were coming back from lunch. She laughed when Breda explained about to her about the prank he pulled the week before while she was gone. They walk in the hallway that lead to the office, Lily being the closet, she reached over, grasping the metal knob, she open the door. There it was then they saw him. Sitting in one of the chairs, his legs propped up against the desk, acting looking like he own the place. He still looked the same, expect for the little streaks of red in his ebony locks. A cigarette was placed in between his lips. He wore dark cloths, some of the fabric had gothic symbols on it, and he could look like a vampire if his skin wasn't sun kissed tan skin. Everyone was silent, the man oblivious to everyone around but himself. Finally, he turn his head, looking everyone up and down, looking very bored.

"Yo,"he said, cooly.

Havoc was the first one to speak, and he spoke loud,"Who do you think you are! Busting into private office building without permission!"

"Yeah! What gives you the right to break in?"yelled Brenda

He just blinked at the two extremely loud men.

"Easy guys,"Lily stepped in, placing both hands of their shoulders,"I know this...guy."she manage to get out.

"You...you do?"Havoc asked, getting down from his anger levels.

"Yes, we know each from way back...too bad it didn't end so well."Lily said

Finally, he spoke, with a cocky smile on his face,"Aw, that's no way to treat your fiance, Lily."

"Fiance!"Lily heard the men behind her yell in shock.

"_Ex_-fiance to be more exact,"she explained, her eyes set on the man before us.

"Why are you going here, Adrian?"she asked, her eyes were emotionless expect with a tinge of hate.

"I came here to see you of course,"Adrian placed both of his feet on the ground.

He got up from the chair, walking up to her, almost towering her in size, he lifted her chin to look her in the eyes.

"You can't forget all those nights we had together, love,"he turn his head to the stunned men in the room,"I see you have already made your mark here. So, how many have you seduce?"he purred, looking back at her again.

She swung her arm, knocking his hand away,"None. I don't sleep around unlike some people."

Adrian laughed,"Ouch. Still feisty as ever."

"What are you _really_ doing here, Adrian? If your going to say that you want to hook up with me, sorry to break your happy thoughts but I already have a boyfriend. A boyfriend who loves me, holds me when I'm down, and not sleeping around with other women!"Lily yelled

"What in the Seven Rings of Hell is going on here?" said a new voice, interrupting their conversation.

Everyone turn their head to see Roy standing in the room, glaring at the lot of them. Adrian looked at Lily, a smirk appear on his face as he looked back to Roy.

"This is your boyfriend? Isn't he older then you?"Adrian ask

"Excuse me?"the both asked

Adrian walked up to Roy and looked him up and down, he shook his head in disgust.

"I knew you look familiar. The famous great Roy Mustang my sister speaks so much about. Shame really, I thought you would be like this great god or something. So, Mr. Mustang, how does she ride?"he asked

"What?"

"Lily. How is she good in bed? Or has she been too busy to sleep around to get to yours? She is a bit-"

WHAM!

Adrian stumbled a bit backwards his hand over his right eye. He looked at Roy who was now cracking his knuckles.

"I really don't like it when someone disrespects the members of my team, especially a women. Unless you want another black eye to match the other, by all means, stay."Roy said

Adrian looked at Lily,"This isn't over, wench."

He ran pass Roy and out of the office. Everyone looked shock and surprised at Roy's behavior.

"Wow, sir,"squeaked Havoc,"That was...new..."

"Miss Marshall,"Roy now had his attention on the female in the room,"May I ask who that man was?"

Lily snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at Roy. His face had a look of 'I'm not leaving until I get an answer.'. After what he did to Adrian, was...she couldn't put it into words. Was Roy, her boss, acting noble or did he just got off the wrong side of the bed this morning. She sighed, having no choice to do so. She sat on the desks, carefully not to sit on anything like paperwork.

"Fine, you want to hear my story. Well, it's going to be a big one...so back out now,"No one did,"Alright then, on with the story. It all started on a mid-summer's morning, two years ago..."

----

A eighteen year old girl sat in front of a vanity mirror, putting on the last brush of the powdery substance on her cheeks, she stood from her seat. Her blonde hair brushing along her bare shoulders. She walk across the room to a closet, pulling the double doors open, she looked through the racks of cloths. Taking a sleeveless dress, she held it against her robe cover body. She heard someone knocking on the door, almost too softly to even hear it.

"Come in,"she said

The door open and a girl with raven hair slipped in, closing the door behind her. She merely plopped herself in the chair near the bed without asking for permission.

"What are you doing, Lily?"she asked

Lily turn on a heel, holding a red dress to herself,"Mary, your my friend, right? Please, with all of your honesty, is this a bit too slutly or too much of 'asking for too much'?"

Mary bit the inside of her lip from laughing out loud,"What does this have to do with anything?"

Lily groaned and fell back on the bed, the dress laid next to her.

"Adrian..."

"What about my dear brother of mine?"Mary asked, laying down beside her friend.

"Is...just...next month, we...you know..."she tried to find the right words.

"Getting married? Gah. You had to remind me,"she groaned

"But, what about him, Lily?"Mary asked

Lily's face was deep beet red, she played with a loose thread on her robe,"Well, he is older and well...ummm...God, this is embarrassing!"

She turn her head to Mary's and whisper something in her ear. When she pulled back, Mary had a look on disgust plaster on her face.

"Eww! I don't want to think about you and my brother in that sorta of light. Unless it's about Roy Mustang, I can talk about him all my life and never hate it!"exclaimed the partly insane girl.

Lily sat on the bed, looking down on her on the bed.

"Mary! I'm serious! I'm getting married soon and I don't want to be you know...a virgin,"she whisper the last part.

"So, that is why you called me over. You want me to help you pick out a dress so you can surprise my brother and...well become a woman, right?"Mary asked, like she read her friend's mind.

"H-how did you know?"Lily asked, a bit shocked.

"Please, your asking the 'Great and Powerful Mary Lucas'! MUHAHAHAHA!"Her friend laugh and suddenly they could hear lighting and thunder outside.

"Where did that come from?"

"I don't know. Everytime I laugh it always happens,"

"Anyway,"Mary jumped off the bed, facing Lily,"You came to the right girl! Now, let's make you so sexy that my brother can't take his hands off of you!"

An hour later, and many dresses later, Lily took a deep breath as she looked at herself in the mirror. She had on a short, black dress that showed her belly button and two straps that connected to the top. She had a black pearl necklace with a small black heart with a small flower in the middle. Simple black high heel shoes adorned on her bare feet. She turn around with a smile on her face to face Mary. She wished her luck and will make an excuse for her if Viktor asks. And with that, she was off.

As she walked the stone path to the Lucas' house, Lily's stomach was in knots. She was nervous, scared, excited, and a bit sad. After this night with her husband-to-be, she was going to be a change girl, or should I say woman. As she walked in warm, black ridden sky, she remember how this all happen. How she and Adrian came to be.

Lily remember that she always had a crush on another boy in the village for as long as she could remember. Lucius Reid was his name, he was a year older then her, he always had his ginger color hair in a ponytail at the base of his skull. That's what she truly loved him above the rest of the boys in school. When he let his hair loose and let it billow in the wind on some days was perfect, and when several of the kids went to the local pond after a hot, summer's day, she remember how his hair clung to his wet frame. Lucius was smart, funny, handsome, kind, and generouse. Lily even gotten photos of him, putting them on her wall, and kissed them everyday before heading off to school.

She was sixteen when she finally got the guts to ask him out. She sent him a note to meet her at the town's lake at eight o'clock that evening. She remember the clouds were dark and covered the full moon. Lily had walk to where she told Lucius to meet her. He was there, which lifted her spirits up a bit. He smiled his wonderful smile and gave her a hug in welcome and asked her why she wanted to meet up. Lily almost died from the little hug of his. It was too dark to see her blushing face as she tried to find the right words. After a few minutes, she finally did it, she asked him out. Then silence fell on them, Lucius looked stunned and confused. After awhile, he had sighed, and told her that he already had a girlfriend, one in the next town over, and promised that they could friends. When he said this, Lily felt her heart break into a million of pieces. And without a word, she ran the other way, blindly into the woods as tears ran down her cheeks.

Lily collapsed on the ground and didn't bother to move when she felt cold rain hitting back, damping her cloths. She just wanted to die. She wanted to bury her head into the ground and never come up again. She wanted...she wanted to throw Lucius' girlfriend off a bottomless cliff. She sob like a baby as the weather matched her mood. Lily looked up, her make-up runny and messed up, as she felt something covering her back. She looked up to see Adrian, bending on his knees as he placed his leather jacket over her frame.

"Hey, what are you crying about, Marshall?"he asked

Adrian...Mary's older brother, the leader of a group of older kids that looked tough and mean. She had seen him sometimes at Mary's house and around the town but never talked to him or his friends. Truth be told, she was scared of their dark auras. Now...now, she was just thankfully someone was here. Before he could do anything, she launch herself onto him, pulling herself tight around him, burying her head in his chest, she cried her eyes out.

"Hey, hey,"he pulled her off of him,"What's the matter?"

"Lucius...He has a damn girlfriend!"she cried

Adrian was surprised at her strong language,"You mean Reid? That wimp loser? Don't tell me you liked that guy,"Lily looked away,"Oh my God, you gotta be kidding me! I thought you were smart, Marshall. Lucius Reid doesn't have a girlfriend at all, he likes men more then girls, if you know what I mean."Adrian said

Lily sobbed even harder,"Oh God! I'm such an idiot!"

Adrian lifted her head and looked straight in her eyes,"The only idiot is that loser Lucius...for not returning your feelings,"with his thumbs, he got rid of the runny black that leaked from her eyes,"Come on, let's get you into warmer cloths."

Adrian help her up from the ground, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he kept her close. Lily looked up at him and smiled and rest her head under the crook of his arm.

And that's how it started. Lily would talk and hang out with Adrian for the next year or so before Adrian asked her out on a date. She was surprised and having many thoughts of it before answering with a simple 'yes'. Their date was magical for Lily, they went to the hill that over looked the whole town, right under the stars, they had dinner. As Lily watched the stars twinkling against the black sheet of a sky, Adrian leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. Her first kiss! My God, it was wonderful. She could die and be happy still. He pulled away, they both had smiles on their faces. Lily got closer to him and return the favor, they spent the whole night like this, their food forgotten.

They were like this until several months ago, Adrian asked her to meet him at the lake. The full moon shined on the lake as the stars were nowhere to be seen. Lily was surprised to see Adrian had his hair slicked back and had elegant cloths on. When she reached him, he smiled and kissed her hard on the lips, leaving her breathless. Before she could react, he pulled away, bending down on one knee, he pulled out a small velvet box from his box. Opening up the lid, Lily had nearly fainted at the sight of a small ruby on top of a silver band.

"Lily Marshall,"Adrian said,"Will you do me the honors of becoming my wife?"

Lily took less then a moment to speak her words,"Yes! I will!"she cried

He slipped the ring on her finger, it fit perfectly. He stood up and nearly swallow her whole with kisses.

And that's how it happen. Lily and Adrian were going to get married in less then a month, it was hard to convince Viktor and her friends to be happy about her and her new fiance. They did, only to keep Lily happy. She snapped out of her thoughts as she found herself standing in front of the door of the Lucas' home. This was it, once she enter into the home, her life was going to be different. She took a deep, calming breath before knocking softly on the door. What surprise her that the door was open, she turn the handle and walked in. No one was in sight, and inside it was dark. She step forward, looking around for any signs of life. Lily stopped when she saw light coming from under Adrian's bedroom door. Her ears caught a soft sound of someone...moaning? With a curiosity filled mind, she walked slowly to the door. Finding the door unlock, she turn the knob and swung the door open. her heart sank in her stomach at what she saw in front of her. There, in Adrian's bed, a strange woman laying underneath of the it's owner. They were both naked under the thin sheet that covered their lower halves. The woman turn her head, her dark hair damped and in knots as it laid against the pillows, as she notice Lily in the room. It's owner notice the woman's line of vision, turning his head to face the blonde, a smile on his face as he stopped his movement.

"Oh, hello, love. If I knew you were coming, I would plan something better,"he said

"Adrian...wh-what's going?"Lily asked, her throat felt dry and it was hard to breathe.

"What do you think? I'm a man and she,"he gesture his hand to the still nameless woman below him,"And she is woman and we are both naked. Unless you want to join us, your have all means."Adrian said

Lily felt the stingy feeling tears at the corners of her eyes as both rage and sadness filled her every pore. Grabbing the small ring off her finger, she flung it at Adrian's head.

"This marriage is off, you sorry son of a bitch!"she yelled

She turn and ran out of the house, running to the sanctuary she called home. There, she flung herself on her bed, burying her head in her pillow. Mary, who still hadn't left, put down the book she was reading and looked her friend. Getting up from her seat, she walked over and wrapped arms around her friend the best she could, letting Lily cry all she wanted. Somehow, Mary knew what made her beloved friend cry like this. Maybe it was because of the missing ring or that she knew her brother a little too well.

----

"...And after Viktor found out, well...he gave Adrian a piece of his mind. Lost a lot of hair in various places and got kicked out of the house by his parents. Oh course, he didn't leave without leaving his mark. His and his..his concubine started spreading rumors about me and Mary. They started to say that me and her were a couple and I romantically went to her after I saw Adrian and that girl together. I stayed inside my house for a month while Viktor and some close friends tried to get rid of the evil rumor once and for all."Lily finally finished her long tale.

"Wow...that's...that's pretty sad,"Havoc said from his spot.

"Yeah, a tale of heartbreak and wicked people, pretty harsh."stated Breda

"It all sounds rubbish,"

Everyone turn their attention to Roy, his arms cross over his shoulders. Lily stood from her spot and walked towards Roy, staring him right in the face.

"You think I made that up for people to feel sorry for me? You can't make up stuff like that. Do you think it's fun to get your heart broken twice in less then five years? It's not. You, a guy who goes to dates nearly everyday with different women, wouldn't know a thing about heartbreak. And just when I started to like you again, you decided to be your normal self and being...and being a total jackass!"she yelled in his face.

Grabbing her bag, she stormed out of the building. She walked through the crowds of people on the sidewalks, her bag clung to her side. For the second time today, in less then an hour, she was angry at the men in her life. First Adrian showing up without warning and then Roy not believing her story. Everytime she saw him, he always wanted to act superior and be a jerk to her. Lily didn't care if she got fired from her job, just as long she didn't have to put up with him all the time. Practically life was always around Roy Mustang! Her friends starting a club and now working for him. Were the Fates playing tricks with her? She leaned herself against a random brick wall and covered her hand over her face, as tears leaked from the corners of her eyes.

"Stupid Roy making me cry like this. He probably does not have a single kind bone in his body. I wish he would just go away and let me live in peace."she to herself.

She looked up from her hand and saw what building she was standing next to. A bright neon light had the words 'The Sirens Den'. She got interested and started to head inside. She was surprised to see a small dance club, very few people were dancing, some were either sitting around the bar. She walked slowly to the bar and sat down on an empty seat.

"What can I get you, honey?"the female bartender asked, cleaning a glass with a cloth.

"The strongest drink you got and make it quick."Lily order

----

A few hours and drinks later, Lily smiled as she spin in her seat before stopping in front of the bar, taking a big sip of the drink that called 'Sweet Elixir'. It tasted sweet, just like the name, and it was very addicting. She had already gotten through ten drinks of this stuff, of course she had a few other drinks. The club was already packed with people that it was hard to hear to your own thoughts.

"Are you sure you had enough, miss?"asked the bartender

"Not enough! This is wicked stuff here, it's very sweet and...and elixirly! Ha ha, I get it now, Sweet Elixir, that's funny."Lily laughed, chugging down another shot of her drink.

"Mind if I take this seat?"a new voice was heard behind Lily.

She turn her head to see a rather handsome gentleman with very dark hair and eyes and wore a navy shirt and black jeans.

"Sure, it's a free country,"Lily said sheepishly

He sat down next to her and ordered a beer. Lily turn her head to look at him, somehow he looked very familiar but she couldn't place from where.

"Hey, what's your name, guy?"she asked

"That's a bit rude, you know? Anyway my name is...Jeremy Crone."

"Jeremy...Jeremy...that's a cute name,"she smiled

"What's yours, miss?"

"I can tell you...if you buy me a drink,"she smirked.

"I like your style."Jeremy smirked as well.

---

Her and Jeremy spent the night talking, laughing, and drinking together. Lily still had the feeling of she still knew him from somewhere and it will not pass. Jeremy just finished telling her a joke about a monkey and a balloon when he asked a question she regretted ever hearing.

"So, what brings you here tonight? Mostly people come here to escape from their lives when some bad happens to get pissed drunk."Jeremy explained

Lily sighed,"It's my boss. For the past month or so he has been riding my ass and not in a good way. It all started with my ex-f...friend decided to show up without a word. Then I tell him what happen and he doesn't believe me! I told him how I got my heart broken by my friend and still doesn't believe me! He thinks I made it all up! He is a total jackass and yet..."she looked towards the drink in her hand.

"And yet what?"

"And yet...I have some feelings for him. Feeling I shouldn't even have, and they won't go away no matter how much alcohol I drink."Lily, tears spilled down her rosy cheeks.

Jeremy turn her head to face him and wiped the tears from her eyes. He stood up, taking her hand, placing a kiss on her knuckles.

"Come on, follow me,"Jeremy spoke in a low and silkily voice.

Lily had followed him with a second thought. She followed him through the dancing people and couples and through the back door and outside in the chilly night, He guided her to the wall and pinned her to the wall. He ran a hand down her arm to her ass where he pushed her towards him. Jeremy bend down and kissed her softly on her neck, sending chills down her spine. He kissed his way to her shoulder and back up to her neck where he moved upwards to her ear.

"I'm going to make you pay for what your little boyfriend did to my face,"he whispered into her ear, almost hissing.

He moved his head, Lily gasped when the streetlight shone on his face. There, instead of the guy named Jeremy she knew, was Adrian. She couldn't recognized him in the bar because the colorful dim lights in there made him look different. She couldn't believe that Adrian would ever be nice to her like that. Her body shiver and was not because of the cold air, she was scared of her life now, with the evil look in Adrian's eyes. Before she do anything he swung his fist and it collided with her face. She fell into a heap on the dirty ground. He started to kick her in the stomach over and over again. She didn't have a chance to use alchemy or try to escape. She finally looked up from the ground she saw a flash of fire and scream of pain from Adrian. In a flash, she felt being lifted to the ground and held against a hard chest.

"Run away, Mr. Lucas or else I burn off the thing you desire most."the owner of the chest called.

Lily heard Adrian huffing and puffing before running away like the coward he was. She finally lifted her head and was soon face to face with Roy. Her stomach tighten and her heart began to beat quicker as she notice what position they were in. He held her close with his arms wrapped around her tightly. His face looked softer then she last saw him.

"Roy...what are you doing here?"she asked

"Saving you of course. I was walking out from work when I saw Adrian, dressed in different cloths and his eye patched up, probably from using make-up, and walking into this dance club. He looked shifty and decided to follow him in, hiding in a booth, I spotted him walking towards you. You get drunk too easily, Lily. After watching you and him flirt, I saw him take you outside and found him hurting you, moments later."Roy explained

Lily felt her stomach sink,"D-did you hear anything from me?"she asked

"No, was too far away to have. Why? Did you say something about me?"he asked

Lily smiled in relief,"No, nothing. Roy, can you...can you walk me home?"

----

Roy and Lily walked up the stoop to her home. Before she could open the door, it open by itself and Lily was covered by two figures. The figures pulled back after a few bone crushing hugs and revealed themselves to be Mary and Leo.

"Lily! I..We were so worried about you! What happen to you? You look like you just got back from a bull fight!"exclaimed Mary.

"She had a...meeting an old friend of yours. Your brother, Adrian I believed."Roy said, cutting into their little love circle.

Mary and Leo turn their attention to Roy, they hadn't even saw him there.

"You mean my big brother did this to my precious Lily? I'm going to fucking kill him!"yelled Mary before looking sweet and loving at Roy,"But, thank you for rescuing Lily from his dark clutches and bringing her home. Can we ever repay you? How about a kiss?"she asked, looking hopeful.

Roy laughed,"That wouldn't be necessaries. Just keep a look out for Adrian, I rather not see Lily be hurt by him again. I will see you tomorrow, Marshall."

He turn and walk out their sights and into the night.

"Wow, he is some guy, Lily. I'm so jealous that you get to see him everyday!"exclaimed Leo

"Can you give the fangirlism up for tonight? I rather head to bed and sleep this whole day off..."Lily said, walking past them.

"'Ey,'Ey, Captain Marshall! We will let you dream of Roy for tonight! But in the morning, he is ours!"Mary said before walking back inside with Leo and shutting the door behind him.

------

Author's note: Hey, not much of an ending with the last few lines but I'm tired. I do my writing mostly at night when everything is done and is on. And not much of an author's note this time, so I'm going to answer some question from a reader named Runningstorm.

Answer to Question One:

Yes, I did make Lily use alchemy without clapping her hands because I really couldn't think of a way to put that in. Either I forgot or I just wanted to happen that way. Sorry for misunderstanding.

Answer Number Two:

Lol, wow, I thought no one would ever get that. Bravo, Runningstorm. But, sadly, I can't really answer this question without giving away the story. You will find out eventually.

Anyway, until then, keep reading! I'm going to have a brainstorm with my friend for the next two chapter, meaning we are going to throw brains around at each other. It's fun with the kids!


	14. The Lily and the Flame

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, Roy, or anything lie that! Just Lily, Leo, Mary, etc.

----

In a great kingdom called Rasilen, there lived a great and powerful king, named Viktor. King Viktor was very depressed when his wife died, childless. Without an heir to the thron, he and his beloved kingdom would soon perish. King Viktor begged on his hands and knees to the Gods Above. They seem to hear his prays because soon, on a hunt with some fellow rulers, he found a small little baby in a clearing. This child was a small girl, barely a month old when they found her. King Viktor took the small girl and raised her as his own. He named her Princess Lily after his dead wife.

Princess Lily was a kind and gentle soul, her heart was pure as was her skin. King Viktor felt blessed with her in her life, and thanked the Gods Above for her. Princess Lily's hair was golden as was the sun itself, her eyes were blue as the sky itself, her skin soft and full of life. As she grew in the Rasilen Castle, she was taught that ways of a princess such as; reading, writing, horse back riding, dancing, even singing if you could believe it. Every where she went, the room was at peace. She was truly a gift from above.

She would always ask the town's magician for a fortune telling reading, asking if she would be a great queen one day, if her father would be well known, and who her true love would be. The magician couldn't get a right answer the latter one but all he saw were the letters R.M., and nothing more. Still, it kept Lily's hopes up.

It was a peaceful night when King Viktor told Lily about the neighboring country ruler's son was asking for her hand in marriage. When she ask who she was suppose to marry, he gave her the name Richard Master of Faylin. Lily was more then pleased to see her husband to be, accepting his proposal, she spent most her days nearly in giggles. He and his family would come to retrive her on her twenty-first birthday, a month from now. She would ask some of ehr servants to visit this great prince for her, since she could not, asking what he look like and how well he acted in front of her subjects. All replies came superb in the end.

It was the eve of her birthday when Princess Lily sat in the castle's garden, currently making a little crown of daisies. She hummed a soft tune she learn from the servants. Her humming stopped when she heard heavy feet running towards hers. Turning and looking up, she was surprised to see Sir Leo standing there looking scared and frighten, not at all like himself.

"Sir Leo, what troubles you today?"she asked

He huffed and puffed,"It's...the village has been attacked by a strange, dark figure. I must take you to safety before you get hurt."

Without a thought, he picked her up by the hand and ran towards the castle, nearly dragging Lily behind him. Whatever had attacked the village it must've been dreadful, putting Sir Leo in a state like this. He was known for even helping slaying a dragon, a litte one but a dragon none the less. He was her father's prized knights in his courts. Sir Leo ran through the halls as the servants ran around in panic, already hearing the dark news. Sir Leo took her to her bedroom, and started to pushed heavy objects against the door and windows as Princess Lily watched on.

"Sir Leo, what is going on? Where is my father?"Princess Lily asked

"Your father and the other soliders are out there trying to defeat the one they call Dark Lord Adrian. Why he has chosen to attack at a time like this is unceratin right now. But, as member of the royal court, I have to protect the royal blood line no matter what."Sir Leo explain

A loud crash was heard behind them, both of them turn around as they heard the noise. A dark figure of a man stood before them, a broken window behind him, as he stood in a pile of broken glass. His black hair went into waves behind him as his eyes shown in the darkness. Sir Leo quickly abonaded his task of blocking the door to stand in front of Princess Lily, pulling his sword out, he yelled at the man.

"If you want the princess, you have to get through me!"

The man smiled, if you could call that a smile,"You think you can defeat me, knight? You have no idea who you are messing with!"

With a simple flick of his wists, Sir Leo floated in mid-air for a second before being thrown in the wall, he slid down onto the floor, unconiouse. The man turn to Princess Lily, as every step he took, she took a step backwards until her back hit the wall. He wasn't human, his aura surronding him was too dark to descrip. He finally reach her, Princess Lily couldn't move if she tried. He trapped her to the wall, both of his hands at either side of her face.

"You are a hard one to get you, princess. But, no matter how many soliders and knights come, I will get you no matter what."He spoke in a low whisper.

He pressed his hand against her forehead and all around her turn dark.

-----

A man with long, dark brown hair paced the room he was currently in. He chewed at his fingernails, not caring if it was ungentleman like. He was angry, upset, and outrage! He finally stopped his pacing, turning on a heel to face the other men in the room. Slamming his hands on the desk before him.

"How could this have happen! I thought you were the elite knights in Rasilen and you let...that man take my preciouse Lily!"he yelled

"Sir, with all due respect, Lord Adrian is too powerful for us to even get a scratch on him."one man said

"I should have you hang for your stupidity!"he yelled

Soft sound of footsteps was heard from the shadows a a young woman with beautiful red hair emerge from the shadows. She walked up to the man with the brown hair and eased him down into a chair.

"Easy now, brother, they will get your bride back soon enough,"she spoke in a soft tone.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair,"Thank you, sister, I almost lost my cool,"he whispered

"Prince Richard! Prince Richard!"

Sir Leo burst into the room, running up the desk where held Prince Richard at. He had to stop to ctach his breath for a moment.

"What is it, Sir Leo?"Prince Richard asked

"I think...I think I have an idea to rescue Princess Lily from...Lord Adrian."He said in between breaths.

-----

Princess Lily awoke with a splitting headache, moving to sit up, she held a hand to her forehead. She looked around the room she was in, this was all unfamiliar to her. She wasn't in her bedroom, in any rooms in the castles, and definaly not in the palace gardens. Where was she? And who brought her here? The room itself was dark and groomy, round and many bookshelfs fulled with ancient books. A single dresser stood by the bed she now sat in, off to the side was a window that showed the night's sky from a high point, she must be in a tower somewhere. Her stomach drop when one of the bookcases disappeared, a door appeared in it's place. She was about to see who was her capture once and for all. Her capture was none other then the man from her bedroom, who knocked out Sir Leo. The room seem to get colder when he walked in.

"W-who a-are you?"Princess Lily asked

He was taken by this but went into a deep bow,"I didn't give you a proper interdosing back there, now didn't I? I'm Lord Adrian Lucas, son of the legendary Dark Lord Remiel and the Mountin Witch Abigail. I know who you are, my dear princess, I have been watching you for quiet some time now. You have grown into a fine woman, I do say so myself. I do give thanks to yuor father, King Viktor, but I didn't have time to thank him properly before he selfishly attacked me my creatures I put so much time to summon."Lord Adrian spoke with a air of pride.

"W-what do you want with me?"she asked

"I thought you were smart, princess. I took you here, simply to make you my bride. You should feel grateful I chosen you instead of an ugly witch from the forest. I could give you anything you want, beloved. I could give you the finest cloths, mountains and mountains of gold, the best diamonds and rubies from the northen mountains, and everything you could possible think of! All I ask in return is for to be my wife."

"I will never married you! You attacked my kingdom, many knights, my friend Sir Leo, and even my father! I will never marry even if it kills me!"she exclaimed

Princess Lily soon regreted her words because she found herself under Lord Adrian's body, her hand on either side of her as he held her down on the bed. His hair framed his face and even tickled her face.

"Becareful what you wish for, princess, or you might get your wish."he hissed, almost sounding snake like.

He nearly pushed Princess Lily all the way into the bed itself as he stood up. Lord Adrian walked with a hurt pride towards the door before walking out, he spoke to her.

"And before you think of it, the window has a magical barrier around to prevent you from escaping. I will send someone up with food later on. Think about my request, princess, I would like an answer in two days."And with that he left.

-----

Princes Richard raised his eyebrow at the man in front of him. He was certainly...tall. This was the person Sir Leo was talking about? He could save his bethroded? The man was very muscler, almost completly bald if it wasn't for the litte strand of blonde hair poking out in the front.

"Are you sure, this is person you were talking about? The one the call 'The Flame'? The one who destroyed that dragon years back?"he asked Sir Leo, who stood behind him.

"No, that would be me,"

A man with long, black hair (currently tied in the back with a simple string) came out from behind the tall giant. He face was like a porclein doll. On his hands, he wore white gloves. He was certainly not what Princess Richard was expecting.

"I am Roy Mustang of the Flame at your serivces, your highness,"he bowed,"This gentleman next to be in Sir Armstrong of the Stone, a friend of mine that agreed to accompany me here. I gotten word that you wish to speak to me."Roy finished

Pricness Richard straighten out,"Yes, this is a matter of importence. Earlier today, my future queen, Princess Lily of Raislen, was capture of The Dark Lord Adrian. I have no idea why or where he has taken her but I need her back as soon as possible. In the letter my scouts send you, I promised to give you great rewards if you bring ehr back in one piece. If you manage to destroy Lord Adrian, I will double your reward. Do you expect my offer, Sir Mustang?"

"I will mroe then happy to expect, your highness. My men will accompany me during the journay, we will travel first through the western pasters and go on from them. I promise to return your precious princess safe and sound, jsut in time for your wedding ceremony."

----

"Are you sure this is wise, sir?"

"I mean I heard the rumors about Dark Lord Adrian, and it isn't pretty. Do you think it's alright to go out there, against a powerful man for just a few bags of gold?"

Roy sighed as he looked at his second in command, Riley Hawkeye. The short, blonde hair man that could easily pass as a woman if needed. He finish throwing a bag over his horse and climbed on.

"Relax, Hawkeye, we are jsut doing what we were hire to do. We need to distract Lord Adrian and take the princess, then get out of there. Simple as that. Hawkeye, where are the others?"Roy asked, looking around the stable.

A loud crash was heard when three figures dressed in heavy fell to the ground through the stable's door. One of them pick up his head and had a cheeky grin on his face.

"Sorry sir, but we almost had to drag Havoc back from the tavern. He was still trying to impress a girl when we got in,"he said

The one named Havoc pipped up his head and glared at the man beside him,"Hey, I wasn't the one who was chugging down ale after ale, Breda!"he yelled in defence

Roy sighed again, use to their behavior,"Both of get up, you are crushing Kain."

"Can't...breath..."a voice was heard under the two heavy men.

Both men quickly got up from the ground, helping up the younger man up to his feet, they apologize. Roy just simply order them to get ready on their horses. With a flick of his hand, all five men raced out of the stables as fast as they could.

----

As they rode their horses through a field of wild wheat, Knight Havoc, Breda, and Squire Kain were talking about about the mission they were heading onto.

"So, do we have to fight this Lord Adrian person? I don't really want to die,"squeaked Kain

Havoc laughed,"It will probably be Mustang fighting, he has more skills then all of us combained. He did killed a dragon before,"

"I also heard he slain those giants when he was a squire! No wonder he is so young for a member of the royal court."Breda said with smile.

"I heard this Princess Lily is a real beauty, sent by the Gods they say. It would be a miracle if she ditch the prince and get with me,"Havoc smiled happily

The other knight laughed,"Are you kidding me? There is no chance in hell that she would fall for you, Havoc. She should fall for a hero, like me!"he said in confidence.

"Shut up you two,"hissed Roy, looking behind him,"I see a figure up ahead."

They slowed the horses down and came to a full stop, soon facing a female figure with short brown hair and cute, green eyes. She wore dark blue robes that was tied at the waist with a golden rope. She bowed in front of them, showing them honor.

"What are you doing here, girl? In this paster?"asked Roy

"Milady would like to speak with you, Sir Mustang. She said for you to follow me to talk about Dark Lord Adrian and a way to defeat him."she said with a small voice.

"Sir, I don't think it's wise to follow this girl. It could be a trap!"Hawkeye pleaded wih him.

He held up a hand, stopping from him from speaking no more. Getting off from his horse, now carrying a small tote bag, he address his knights.

"If I don't come back in two days, ask for some help from Sir Armstrong. Until then, good luck on finding the princess."with that, he turn and walk into the woods with the woman.

---

These two walk through the woods, Roy tried to strike up a conversation with the girl, but she kept ignoring him. Finally, after what seem like eternity, they came to a small opening of a cave. The woman grabbed a random twig, muttering a simple word the twig burst into flames, lighting their way as they walk into the damp cavern. They walk downwards until they came to a stop again in front of a battered door. The woman open the door for Roy, letting him and ehrself inside, she shut the door. Roy was surprised to see the room highly decorative with satins, velvets, pictures, bookcases, a bed in the far corner. Nearly everything was red. He was surprised when he saw a woman, long black hair that reached her knees, sitting cross-legged on a stone platform, a cloth wrapped around her eyes.

"Is she blind?"Roy asked the woman behind him.

"No, and I'm not deaf either. I just wear this cloth because I know it's going to be a fashion statement one day,"said the black ahir beauty, taking off the cloth, she stood up onto the floor.

"That is all, Lady Sheska. Please return to your chambers,"she said to the other woman.

Lady Sheska bowed, turning on a heel, she walked out of the room. Turning back to the other woman, Roy was startled when he came face to face with her. His dark eyes looking into hers. She smiled, looking him up and down. Satisfied, she walked away from him and towards a bookshelf, randoming grabbing books and putting them into differnt slots.

"If you don't mind me asking, who are you and why did you bring me here?"Roy asked

She smiled and turn back to him,"I'm Mary of the Wind, simply short, I'm both a witch and a seeress. I knew you were coming here, that's why I sent Sheska to get you. I also know where my brother, Adrian is hiding the flower of Raislen."

"You mean...you are related to Dark Lord Adrian!"Roy asked, startled

Mary sighed,"Yes, sadly I am. We don't have a great sibling relatsinship with each other. Never did and never will."

"And you also know where he is keeping Princess Lily?"he asked

She smiled,"Nothing gets past you, now does it? I do know how to get to where he is hiding the princess, but with all my magical powers, I can't get to there myself, or I would get the princess before he tries to do everything to her."Mary said with a grimance.

"You know how to get to him? How! Please tell me!"demanded Roy

"Tsk, tsk, that's not how you treat a lady like that. Yes, I do know how to get to my brother."

"And you know how to defeat him as well?"

Mary's face fell, she started to bite her fingernails, she started to pace back and forth.

"That...that part is trickey. I went into every ways of defeating by brother but the person who I saw in my vissions, well...he didn't end up too well, I'm afaird."she said

"But, is there any thing common in your vissions? Like a place, is it day or night, how tall or wide the person is, what they are holding, or anything like that?"he asked

She stopped,"You know I never really thought about them like that. Maybe you are the one to destory my dark brother. Hold on, let me get something,"she disappear behind a curtain.

She came back a moment later, carrying a long object covered over with a dark purple velevt sheet. Walking up to him, Mary pulled over the sheet to reveal a bright, glowing, silver dagger. It was so bright, it nearly made Roy blind!

"This dagger was made by elfen bone, dripped over by dragon and unicorn blood, and it was use to kill my father by my mother. Ok, we don't have a good family. Only the Chosen One can slave my brother and put an end to his dark reign. Let's just hope you are the Chosen One."Mary said, handing him the dagger.

"But only use it when the time is right."she said as he sheathed the dagger.

"But, how do I-?"

"Get to my brother and the princess. Once you have the dagger, you already know. You must follow your heart and it will guide you to the princess."Mary said

Before Roy could ask anymore questions, Mary kiss his forehead, then a light blinded him for a moment. When he regain his sight, he found himself in a field of flowers and not in the dank cave. He looked upwards and found himself staring at a tall stone tower as a figure sat in the window still.

----

Princess Lily didn't know how long she had been in this tower slash prison but it felt like eternity for ehr. She rarely got visits from anyone, besides the lifeless servants that brought her up food. She couldn't even talk to them, they were lifeless, human-size, clay dolls with the only purprose of giving ehr food. Lord Adrian, she hadn't even heard from him since they first met.

Now, as she sat on the window still, unable to escape through the window without being repeal and shocked, she just blankly sat there, staring into space. She prayed for the Gods Above to help her get out and it seem none of her prayers worked. She began to sing a low song, one she was singing while she was in the field of flowers before she was taken. She closed her eyes as she disappear in the mirth of the song. She was so lost in the song, she didn't sense a presence of someone else until she heard a voice. Princess Lily looked down from her spot and was surprised to see a man with black hair, dressed in knight's armor at the base of the tower, calling up to her.

"Miss! Can you hear me!"he yelled up

"Yes, I can. Who...who might you be, sir?"she yelled back

"I'm Roy Mustang of the Flame! May I ask what you are doing here?"Roy asked

"I was taken from my castle by a dark and evil man. He has me trap here until I agree to marry him! Please help me!"

"I can't get down from the window myself, seeing he put a magical barrier around it, that prevents me from escaping. Maybe you can try to get in using the ivy vines below me!"Princess Lily said

Roy was surprised that he didn't see the vines before. Seeing and hearing the panic and fear in the woman's voice, he had to help her from the man who put her here. He began to climb, almost loosing his grip and falling, soon he reached the top. Princess Lily moved out of the way and helped him in. So, her theory was right!

"Thank you, mister knight, I'm very glad that the Gods Above heard my plea and send a noble knight to save me from Lord Adrian's grip!"Princess Lily exclaimed

"You mean, you are Princess Lily?"she nodded,"That's good. Look, I was hired by Prince Richard to come and save you, and it seems it was easier then I had hope.  
Roy breathed out in relief

"How do we get out here?"he asked, looking around.

Princess Lily looked disappointed,"Oh, I never thought of that before. I know that Lord Adrian went out through that bookcase, making it a door. He has too far powerful magic then I to make that."

Roy walked over to it, examing it with a careful eye. He stopped when he notice the silver dagger at his side began to pulste and glow. Taking it out, he held it to the bookcase. In a flash, the bookcase was gone and in it's place stood a wooden door. Princess Lily nearly wept for joy when Roy made that door, even if she didn't know how.

"Come on, let's get out of here before Lord Adrian notices you gone!"exclaimed Roy, grabbing her hand.

He pulled ehr through the door and the many flights of stairs. Princess Lily had some struggle to keep up with Roy. Finally, they reached the bottom where a door stood between them from freedom and this hellhole. Finding it lock, Roy kicked it open and dragged Princess Lily out of there. They ran, already they were huffing and puffing from the run, away from the tower and towards the woods that could lead them back to Raislen. They stop suddenly seeing a dark figure ahead of them, preventing them going on further.

"You think you can escape me, princess?"Princess Lily knew that voice, by the way it ran down her spine in a cold chill.

Lord Adrian step out of the shadows, his eyes red with anger. Roy pushed the princess behind him, protecting her.

"If you want the princess, you have to get through me!"yelled out Roy

"If I had a gold coin everytime I heard that..."

"Very well, I could use my ultimate power on you, even if you will die instantly by the shock of it. Prepare yourself!"Lord Adrian yelled

He double over as pain hit him like a ton of bricks. Lord Adrian screamed in pain as his clothes were ripped away as three lumps appeared along his back. His skin was gone in a instantly as a large, dark purple dragon stood in it's place. Roy pulled out the silver dagger out again and pointed at the large beast. The dragon, obvisiose Lord Adrian now, snarled at Roy seeing the dagger. Roy got into a run, he jumped and moved to the dragon's neck when...

---

"Ummm...when..."

"When what happen, Miss Lucas? Did Sir Roy Mustang killed the dragon?"

Mary glared at the small boy in front of her as she sat in a big rocking chair, a open book in her lap. Around her were other small children of young ages, all wanting for ehr to finish the story.

"Ok, this part is very graphicly, okay? I don't want to get chased down by an angry mob, formed by your parents for telling you all this. You will have to wait until your older to read _that_ part."she said

"But what happen to Princess Lily and Roy?"asked a girl

Mary smiled,"That I can answer! Anyway, after Roy slain the dragon, Princess Lily ran up to him and kissed him on the mouth in joy. She knew once their lips touched, their fates were destined to be together forever. They were in love from the very start! They went back to Raislen where Princess Lily cancelled her marriage to Prince Richard and married Roy Mustang instead. And they lived happily ever after!"she finished

"That wasn't much of an ending,"grumbled the boy from earlier

Mary whack him on the head,"Your lucky I didn't make Lord Adrian eat you!"she growled out.

"I think the story was wonderful!"

"Yeah!"

"I want to be like Roy Msutang when I grow up!"

The other childern yelled in joy, Mary stuck her tongue at the little sour puss of a boy. Her eyes nearly popped out of theri sockets when one of the childern screamd in terror, causing the others to scream as well. Mary turn her head to see a dark figure, standing behind her, eyes glowing with hate. The children began to scream ever louder.

"Ah! It's Lord Adrian coming to suck out our souls!"

"I'm too young to die!"

"I want my mommy!"

The figure stood there, glaring down at Mary who was innocently smiling at it. The figure whacked Mary on the head before coming out of the shadows to reveal Lily.

"Tell me, Mary, since when do I act like that!"Lily yelled

"He he, it was all in the name of fun! Please don't hurt me!"Mary squealed, covering her head.

"Oh, I'm not hurting you anymore..."

"Your not?"

"No. At least not in front of the children. Come along, Lucas."

Lily dragged the poor helpless Mary by the ear on the ground. Before they were gone from the bookstore, Mare yelled something.

"Never forget me, children! Never forget the tales of 'The Lily and the Flame!'"she yelled

-----

Author's Notes: Sorry for the lateness...again. Too awhile to make this chapter. So many nights on the computer. Sorry times a trillion! Don't hurt me! Add note; There isn't going to be another weird chapter seeing my friend can't think of anything. Next chapter is where we get serious again! So long everyone!

P.S. I would love it if Hughes hadn't die like in the anime show! He would be a fun character to have here! Probably be in the Roy Mustang Fan Club as well! Hey, maybe Mary is his long, lost daughter! I will let you guys think about that!

Please Review!


	15. Birthday Girl Part One

Disclaimer: I don't own Full Metal Alchemist and all that.

-----

Now that everything was back to normal for Lily and her friends, after dragging poor Mary out of the library after hearing her read from the book (it is currently publish and selling like hot cakes), zero sign of Adrian since Roy gave him something to remember him by, and Leo striking gold in a mine and losing it in a strip poker game(It's better that you don't know), all Lily wanted to do was to relax and enjoy her birthday, thankfully it fell on a weekend, meaning no work to go to. And that day was today.

Lily was taking a quick shower, washing up for the big party later this evening. She stopped washing her hair when she heard the doorbell ring several times. Getting out and poking her head out of the shower, she called to her friends.

"Is someone going to get that!"

No one answered.

Sighing, Lily turn off the water, putting on a robe, she walked towards the door. She was going to murder the person who interrupted her peaceful shower. Seeing no Mary and Leo in the living room, she knew that it was them at the door, probably holding arm fulls of snacks and soda. Lily smirk as she thought of new ways of making them do household work for getting her out of the shower just to open the door. Turning the knob, swinging the door open, her mouth literally drop at who she saw in front of her.

"V-Viktor?"

It was really him! Standing in front of her. He still had the brownish gray hair she remember him have when she left. He was like a foot taller then her still, and wore a brown trench coat. His hand still looking tough but soft all the same. A smile turn on her face, almost touching her ears. She jumped and launched onto Viktor, her arms around his neck and her head in his chest.

"Viktor! I missed you so much!"she cried, tears of happiness rolling down her face.

Viktor was nearly knocked down by Lily's attack, he chuckled and pulled Lily off of him, his coat damped from her still wet hair. He used his thumbs to get rid of any evidence of her tears.

"Not the welcome I was expecting,"he said through a smile

"Well, you didn't call ahead to tell me you were coming. You can't blame a girl for being happy to see her teacher,"

"I hope I'm your favorite teacher,"

Lily smiled and moved out of the way from the door,"Please do come in, Viktor."

Walking past her, Lily shut the door with a click. Turning on a heel, she saw him looking around the living room.

"So, what brings you by?"she asked

"Why, your birthday of course. It's not everyday a girl turns twenty-one."he pointed out

"Right..."she suddenly felt stupid

"Well, make yourself at home, I'm going to get dressed if you don't mind."Lily said

"None at all,"

Lily smiled at Viktor before dashing to her room. When she return, Lily was dressed in a short sleeve dark red shirt and pair of blue jeans. She found Viktor still where she left him, only this time, he was cleaning up.

"Sorry, if you would've called, I would have get Mary and Leo to clean up."she said, helping him out.

"It's better that you didn't know."she quickly added

"Let me get you some tea, Viktor. Oh, please make yourself comfortable."Lily said, going into the kitchen.

"How are Mary and Leo by the way?"he asked, sitting himself at the table.

Lily began to boil the water on the stove,"You know, crazy about Roy and anything he walks on. Hey, even earlier this week, Mary published a children's book about Roy, The Flamely Knight or whatever. Sadly, I was put as the maiden that needed to be rescue. I even fell in love with him, can't you believe it?"

Viktor laughed,"Actually, I can. Was I in it?"

"Yep, as the king and my father. You didn't get a speaking role, she didn't even mention what happen to you."

Lily sighed when the water wasn't boiling quick enough. She clapped her hands, placing them on the pot, the water turned steaming hot. Pouring both herself and Viktor a cup, she set in front of him and sat across of him on the table.

"Where are they anyway?"

"I don't know, they probably left for some party supplies while I was taking my shower, that explains the wet hair,"Lily said, sipping her tea.

The sound of the door being open, making the turn take their attention to the people in the room. Mary was walking in, carrying one bag and Leo behind her, carrying a stack of bags. They seem to have their own conversation.

"I told you, Lily looks better in blue then purple! The blue brings out her eyes,"Mary said

"It's not like anyone but Rick is going to see them! Unless Lily is hiding something from us..."huffed Leo

"It would explain her late nights-"

"Ahem."

Mary and Leo turn their heads, the friend in question clearing her throat. She stood up from her spot and walk towards them.

"I am not hiding anything what you are thinking about from you guys,"she said in her defense

"Oh! I didn't think you would be out of the shower so soon, Lily. Sorry, must've have forgot,"Mary said, scratching the back of her neck.

After Leo put down the heavy bags on the floor, he peered over Lily's shoulder, his eyes went wide at who he saw. He hit Mary in the arm getting her attention.

"Ow! Why did you hit me? I should hit you right back!"she yelled, hitting him on the head.

"Ok, ow, I was only to do that to point that--"

"Hello, Mary and Leo."Viktor said, now standing next to Lily.

Mary had a huge grin on her face,"Yay! Vicky McTrickey is here!"she yelled hugging him.

"Vickey...McTrickey...? My Lord, where do you come up with these names, Mary?"he asked

"It popped up!"she said, letting go of him.

"Did you know, Viktor was coming today, Lily?"

"No, I didn't. I thought at first that he called you first and told you to keep it as a surprise for me."

"I wouldn't do that to you,"Mary looked up at her with shinning eyes.

"Gah, I hate it when you do that,"Lily complained before glancing at the bags,"What's in the bag?"

"Oh, these? These are nothing. Nothing to look at, you only see air!...Ok, they are gifts for you! And now me and Leo are going to wrap them!"

Mary grabbed the bags in one hand and Leo in the other. They ran to Lily's room, shutting and locking the door shut, and what Lily could guess by several locks.

"Would you like to return back to our tea before it turns cold?"suggested Viktor a few minutes later.

"Please..."

----

Lily watched patiently as Viktor read a book from across from her, reading page by page, not missing a word. They had moved from the kitchen to the livening room, each on different couches. Lily had her hands in her lap, trying not to go crazy with waiting for so long. A flash of gold from the book almost made her blind as Viktor shifted in his seat. After reading the last page, he closed the leather book and set it on the coffee table before him. Turning towards Lily, he address her.

"You have many a weird dream, Lillian. Some even made me shiver to the very bone! And some...well, they could make the wisest man confused and almost frighten."he said

"Getting junk food is mostly the cause of that."she said in her defense.

"Like when you dreamt that you held your own boss in your arms and annoying your love for him?"

"Ok, that was Mary's doing! I would never, ever do that!"

"But it did happen, right?"

"What?"

"Your boss, the one that goes by Roy Mustang and the source of your friends club, you did have him dying in your arms a few weeks back, am I right?"Viktor asked

"Yes..."she said softly, her head facing downwards,"and I rather not hear anymore of it. I mean that night, it still haunts me."

He nodded,"I understand. I have seen rather nasty things in the military as well but never what you have experience."

A silence fell between the two for several minutes. Both drawn to different thoughts and memories. It was soon ended when the door to Lily's room finally open after a few selected hours, Mary looking please and Leo rubbing his hands.

"Everything is done! Hey..."noticing the two sad looks on the alchemist and former one,"What happen? Did you guys fight?"

"No, Mary,"started Lily,"We just had a rough...conversation, that's all."

"Riiight..."drawled out Mary before peeping up again,"Me and Leo-"

"You mean just Leo, right? I did most the work."interrupted Leo

"Whatever. But we have finished up wrapping up your presents! Now, all we need to do is get the snacks, cake, and decorations ready! Although the decorations might take awhile."

"I will help you get it done quicker,"suggested Viktor

"Yay for Viktor!"she smiled

"Let's get this part started!"

---

After an hour of getting everything ready, the cake was done by Leo himself, the small birthday party was starting. What made Lily's feeling of happiness go down a few notches that her own boyfriend couldn't make it, he was too tied up with an important family business to get out of. But, Lily made him promise to get her a huge, expensive, awesome gift for her birthday when he was finished. Luckily, Sheska was able to make it, she even asked for Viktor's autograph for a book he wrote when he was younger. Viktor was pleased at her request and made sure to point out things in the book the girl couldn't get.

Now, everyone sat in the living room, plates of half-eaten cake on the table in front of them, it was time for gifts! Mary and Leo got a lot of gifts for their friend, they even had enough to make a small fort with them, a colorful and slightly to the side fort. Lily finished her last bite of birthday cake when Mary shoved a gift in her face.

"Open this one first!"she said, smiling very oddly.

Lily put down her plate and took the box. Unwrapping the colorful paper, she was surprised at what she saw. It was...it was...Hell, she didn't know. It looked to be a mini version of herself but made of cloth and felt soft.

"What is it?"

"It is a little stuff toy to hug when you fell scared. I even got one of Roy as a prince, in a skirt, as a cat, as-"

"Ok, ok, I get it. You can have the skirt one, that's...that's too freaky to imagine."

"Whatever, Miss Party Pooper,"grumbled Mary

"Let's open the rest!"

After a few hundred gifts (some were extremely small), Lily was tired. Sheska had given her a first edition copy book on ancient alchemy ways. Leo had given her some cloths, shoes, jewelry, and even some books on cooking. Mary's were the same but most of them had Roy themes to them. But Viktor...he hardly even spoke during the unwrapping of presents, and Lily never got anything from him. It was strange of Viktor to do something like this.

Lily looked at him as he held his eyes shut,"Viktor?"

"Hmm?"

"Not to be rude or anything but...Where is your gift?"

"Oh, I must have left it at the hotel, I knew I had forgotten something. Shall I fetch it for you?"he asked

"No, no, it's too late now. I think we are all tired,"Lily said, pointing to Sheska who was sleeping soundly and resting herself against Leo.

"I agree,"yawned Mary

"Leo and I will take the book girl back to her house and get going..."

"Where?"

"Oh, I forgot that I planned a Roy Mustang Fan Club meeting today and now I can't cancel it. Hope you don't mind."Mary said, getting up

"Nah, you go on ahead. Where are you going to this time?"Lily asked

"Someone volunteered to have us at their house."

"Take care!"

Lily smiled as Leo woke Sheska up, helping her up, her and the two girls walk out of the house. She could hear Leo struggling with the half-awake and half-asleep girl at his side. She turn her attention back to Viktor who remained where he was.

"Are you heading back to your hotel?"she asked

"I will after I clean up the place,"he said

"But..."

"I can do it. You can say this is my punishment for not getting your gift on time, alright? You go on to bed, now."Viktor said

Lily smiled again, standing up, she kissed Viktor on the cheek.

"Thanks for being here, Viktor. I don't...I don't know what I will do without you,"she said softly.

"Sweet dreams!"she exclaimed before disappearing into her room.

Viktor sat there for a few more minutes in silence and looked up at Lily's closed bedroom door.

"Sweet...dreams...Lily."he spoke with sadness.

---

Lily was having a dream of Mary marrying Roy then having a child that looked strangely like Adrian when she felt someone shaking her awake. Opening up her eyes, she saw Viktor sitting in the empty space next to her, turning on her side she looked up at him.

"What is it, Viktor? What time is it?"she asked, half asleep

"Nearly two in the morning, I have just finished cleaning up the house, just informing you that I'm leaving..."

"And never coming back? That's funny,"Lily joked

Viktor fell silent before changing the subject,"I was thinking tomorrow night, we got out to a restaurant. Me, you, and Roy."

"Sure, sure,"Lily agreed before noticing something wrong in his statement,"Did you say Roy! My boss, Roy!"she exclaimed.

"Yes,"he nodded,"I want to talk to the man that is keeping my daug-...student employed. I have already made an appointment with the restaurant for three."Viktor said

Lily sighed,"Sure, whatever. I will speak to Roy about it at work tomorrow. Good-night, Viktor."

"Good night, Lillian."he said, with a smile. He kissed her head before exiting the room.

Once the door was shut, Viktor rested his back against the wooden door. After hearing Lily going back to sleep, he ran a hand through his hair, a sad look on his face as his smile disappeared.

"I'm sorry Lily...I'm so very sorry..."he spoke softly.

---

Author Notes: Hmm, what is Viktor sorry about? Its for me to know and you to find out! Ha! Anyway, this chapter was going to be a lot later but I'm going to put it into two parts. You wonder how Viktor and Roy are going to treat each other? Roy with respect and Viktor with kindness or both of them arguing like children? Also, if you notice Viktor almost called Lily his daughter.

And Note: I notice no one reviewed the last chapter, either because of the site was down or you just didn't like it. Well, the more reviews I get the quicker new chapters are finished and ready to go! I will even take a flame! Anyway, just making a note of it! See you next time!

Please review!


	16. Birthday Girl Part Two

Disclaimer: I don't own Full Metal Alchemist or anything in the world. Just my original characters and their lives.

----

Lily must've been more tired that she realized, because she awoke with less then fifteen minutes until work. Putting on lots of perfume instead of a shower, put her tangle hair in a ponytail, almost forgetting to put underwear on, and skipping breakfast, she was out the door. She did have time to see Mary and Leo both passed out on the couch, one of their feet was twitching. She ran as fast as her legs could handle, most the locals stared at her strangely. Finally, after a intense jog to the office building, Lily was huffing and puffing. Taking deep breaths, she was ready to go! Opening up the door, she prepare to greet them.

"Good morning everyone!"she exclaimed, a bright smile on her face.

Her smile faded when she notice the looks she was getting from the guys.

"What is it? Something on my face?"

"Your...your shirt.."Havoc said slowly.

Looking down, Lily screamed in fright at what she saw. Instead of her stander military uniform top, she had...a Roy Mustang...tee shirt. It was of Roy's face with the words 'I love Roy Mustang!' around it. She must've grabbed it in her rush to get ready instead of the rest of her uniform, thankfully, it didn't have anything of Roy's face on it, at least in the front.

"I think it looks rather fetching on you, Marshall,"someone said in mirth behind her.

Turning around, she nearly jumped out of her boots as she saw Roy standing next to the closed door, a smirk resting on his face pale.

_'I'm going to kill you, Lucas!'_

"But, I will not punish you for not wearing proper military clothing today, seeing it is your birthday and such."Roy said

"I think it would be better if you had a tube top, don't you agree, Marshall?"

_'Why you little...'_

"Now, shall we start our day with some reports?"he asked

----

After a rough day wearing a Roy shirt, Lily was ready to leave on a drop of a hat. Although it did help when some of guys had given her some simple birthday gifts, most of them were cards and money. Just as everyone was leaving, she walked up to Roy's desk, where the owner was still finishing up a report. After a few minutes of him not noticing her, she cleared her throat.

"What is it?"

Lily sighed, feeling stupid to ask this,"Mustang...Roy...would you like to go out to eat tonight?"

"W-what?"

"I mean...Viktor asked me to see if you can come with us to dinner. He said he wanted to speak to you personally. So, can you come?"she asked again

Roy leaned back in his chair, deep in though, his eyes closed. He taped his cheek a few times before opening his eyes, looking at Lily.

"I don't see why not. Shall we make it nine then?"

---

Lily sat in front of her vanity, applying the last few touches of make-up on herself. She couldn't believe she was going on a date with Roy Mustang! Well, not a real date, with Viktor tagging along, and Lily had to have a romantic relationship with him for a real date, and that wasn't likely. She heard the door opening and closing, seeing who was coming in from the mirror.

"I can't believe your going on a date with Roy..."

"For the last time, Mary, it's not a date. It's just a...get together."Lily said

"Like you said you never date Rick? I think you are enjoying going to a fancy restaurant with him."Mary said

"I am not, Lucas. Besides, Viktor is coming and he is the only reason I'm going. And leave Rick out of this."she said

Mary glared at her through the mirror,"I don't really trust the guy. Saying he has to do 'an important family emergency' right on your birthday! I don't think anything any good boyfriend would miss out his girlfriend's birthday for the world."

"Think all you want, Mary, I trust Rick. He...he has been the only man I truly loved since..since Adrian."she lowered her head as tears threaten to ruin her make-up.

Mary stopped glaring at her friend and did the opposite, she comfort her.

"I'm sorry, Lily. I don't mean to be harsh but I'm just looking out for you. I think Roy is coming in a little bit, so let's have a look at you."

Mary eased her off the bench, stepping back, she admire Lily's attitude for the evening. She wore a pure white cocktail dress, white high heeled shoes, a heart shaped pendant, matching earrings, Her little white matching purse at her side, and finally, her hair in a bun with a thick strand of hair came out in the middle. Mary smiled, going to the vase in the room, she picked up a flower from it. She stuck it behind Lily's ear.

"There, perfect. A lily for my Lily,"she smiled

"That's so corny, Mary."Lily said through a smile.

A bang on the door interrupted their thoughts, Viktor's voice they heard from the other side telling them Roy was here. Giving Mary a quick hug, she walked out and went to see a sight she would never expect to see. Standing there was Roy Mustang, his hair slicked back, a pair of black dress pants, a white shirt underneath with a black tie, and black suit top to add it all together. If she didn't know it, she thought she saw a stranger standing in her living room.

"Wow,"she heard Mary gasped,"When we went on a date, Roy didn't dress up like this."

"Actually I did, Mary, but you were kept starring at my face the whole time,"Roy said

"Yeah...but your face is so cute!"Mary said, stretching his cheeks.

Mary let go of him when Viktor cleared his throat.

"I think it would be the best time if we on out before they give our table to someone else."

"Sure,"the other two alchemist nodded

And with that, they were out the door.

---

Just as(Leo: Hey! Why aren't I in this chapter?)

Author: What?

Leo: I want to be here! Mary has a speaking part, even Havoc does! I want some speaking roles! I wanna speak my love of Roy!

Author: sigh You will get your part in the next freaking chapter! Now shut up and let me type this chapter.

Leo: mumbles

Author: I heard that!

----

Just as they sat down in the elegant restaurant, Viktor kept flirting with their hostess, her giggling was creating a headache for Lily. Man, Viktor is like an older version of Roy...Wait a minute! Did she compare Viktor to Roy? Ok, sure they are both flirtatious when they want to be, both of dark hair, were in the military as alchemist, and a had a way to tease her at any given moment. She sighed in relief when the hostess went to serve some other patrons. They were sitting in a round booth, Lily in the middle and the two gentlemen at different sides.

"So, Mr. Mustang,"Viktor said behind the wine menu,"How is Lillian in the work office?"

"Please, call me Roy, Mr. Mustang makes me sound old. But, Lily has been a great asset to the military, she does work hard to get her reports in on time. She is probably the best employee to work under me."Roy replied

_'Liar.'_

"Well, that's good to hear,"Viktor said

"Are you alright, Lily? You seem quiet ever since we got here. Is something the matter?"he asked Lily who sat there silent as the men talked.

"What? Oh, sorry. My mind was drifting off on something...Nothing to worry about."Lily said quickly.

A waitress with a curvy form came along, a note pad in hand. If she didn't know better, Lily thought she saw the woman's eyes twinkle when she saw Roy.

"What may I get you three?"she asked

Viktor was the first to order first,"To drink, I would like the red wine. I would like the house salad for my entree, spinach soup, and..."he looked down the menu until he finally found what he was looking for,"Ah, yes. I would like 'Fish of the Day' with a side of carrots to the side."

"And you sir?"she turn to Roy

"I would like the salad as well but not with a lot of tomatoes. Shrimp cocktail, and the main course would be leg of lamp."

"And to drink?"

Roy put on his charming smile,"I will let you decide."

The waitress giggled as she blushed,"Oh sir, it's against the policy for the patrons to flirt with us."

"But, can't you let me off the hook this once?"he asked

She giggled once again and Lily was starting to get annoyed, she cleared her throat,"If you don't mind, Roy, I would like to order my food."she snapped.

Both of them looked disappointed,"So, what will you have, miss?"The waitress asked, snappish.

"Ah, yes, I would like the salad as well, and just a plate of pasta, please. Also, some water, please."Lily said

"Just water?" asked Viktor

"Yes, one of us has to be sober."she said

"Coming right up."the waitress finished putting down everything on her list and walked into the kitchens.

---

Dinner went as Lily had expected, terrible. Just when she thought Roy and Viktor could get along from the beginning, it turn worst since dessert. They were now having an argument about the proper transmutation circle to make water based alchemy, and Lily was tune out of the conversation. For the reader's purpose, we decided to let you hear it.

"It should be a circle, circle, triangle, then star!"Viktor exclaimed

"No, it should be circle, circle, square, then star."Roy bit back

"Triangle!"

"Square!"

"Triangle!"

"Square!"

"Tri-"

Lily slammed her hands down on the table, interrupted the two men.

"Knock it off you two. I will show you what it should look like!"

Grabbed a pen and paper from her purse, she drew the water alchemic circle. After she was done, she shoved it in their faces.

"Ah, so it is circle, circle, triangle, then square and finally star! Hmm, guess we were both wrong."said Viktor

"It appears so."

"Thank you. It's lucky I stopped you before you went at each other's throat,"she said, putting the drawing away.

Viktor looked at his wrist watch, he sighed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a long, velvet box and placed it near Lily.

"Here, my late birthday present."he said

Lily picked it up like it was a china glass doll. Slowly opening the box, she gasped in surprise at what she saw. It was a ruby and diamond bracelet, each color appearing at every two pieces.

"It's...It's beautiful, Viktor. Thank you!"she hugged him the best she could from the table.

He smiled,"Your welcome, honey. Only the best things for you."

Lily smiled and put it on her wrist, it looked beautiful against her wrist, it fit perfectly. She stood up with her purse.

"I'm going to head to the bathroom, now. How about we go after I return?"

"Sure thing. Take care now."Viktor said, helping her out the booth and sitting back down.

Once she disappeared behind the ladies' bathroom door, Viktor turn to a silent Roy with solemn eyes. Viktor had a serious look on his face, it was hard to tell if he was glaring at the Flame Alchemist or thinking.

After a few moment, Viktor spoke,"Roy, I must ask you a favor concerning Lily. I don't care for any sass from you but hear me and hear me good. I would like you, Roy Mustang, to look after my Lily even with your life. If she cries, you must comfort her. If she scraps her knee, you must put medicine on it. If she is upset, you must make you feel happy. If she is sick, you must make sure to get her back to health. And if someone hurts her, you must punish them by any means. Do you understand the words that are coming from my mouth?"he asked

"I..I think so."Roy said shakily, not knowing what this will lead to.

"Good. Now promise me that you will do these things. Promise me!"he order with a booming voice.

"I...I promise, sir."he agreed

"But what does this have to do with anything?"Roy asked

Before Viktor could answer, Lily came back from the rest room, a smile on her face. Roy caught of a look of sadness in Viktor's eyes as he looked up in Lily but it quickly vanish.

"Hi, are you guys ready to go?"she asked

"Yes, you two go out, I will be there in a minute. Need to pay the bill."Viktor said

Lily nodded, both her and Roy walked outside of the restaurant, staying on the sidewalk in the middle of the night. A few minutes later, Viktor joined them.

"It looks like it's going to rain soon,"he said, peering upwards.

"Roy, could you walk Lily home? I need to take care of some business before heading back to my hotel room. Just make sure no one robs you."he joked

Lily hugged her former teacher good-bye, kissing him lightly on the cheek.

"Call me when you get there, alright?"

"I will, I promise."Viktor touched her cheek once last time before walking in a different direction.

"Well, shall we?"Lily turn to Roy.

Roy looked back to Viktor's retreating form before turning back to Lily. He nodded and placed a hand on Lily's back and guided her to the direction of her house.

---

Viktor sighed as he went into a desert alley way, he knew he wasn't alone at all. Someone was in the shadows waiting for him. He walked towards the middle where it was most dark. He kept his back to other person. A figure emerge from the shadows, until the face wasn't shown but anyone could tell it was a woman by the long black dress she wore and her curvy body coming from the shadows.

"Are you ready, Viktor?"the woman asked

Viktor sighed, his face blank from any emotion. He looked up towards the sky one last time, enjoying the dark sky.

"Try not to hurt her too much, alright? And don't get her friend's involved."he said

"I can't promise anything, Viktor. Are you ready?"she asked again

"Yes."

A sound of someone cocking a gun was heard and then...

---

Lily and Roy walked alone on the sidewalk, they haven't even spoke a word to each other since they left. It was a long ways to her house but walking was better then getting a cab this late at night.

"So...Roy,"Lily disturbed the silence between them,"What did Viktor talk to you about?"

"What do you mean?"

"When I came out, I saw your mouths moving but I was too far away to hear anything. So, what was it about?"she asked

Roy thought it over for a moment before replying,"Just...man stuff. I was asking for some...advice of women trouble."he lied

Lily laughed in disbelief,"You, asking for women advice? I don't believe it. Your the King of Womanizing! By Mary's standers, you go on dates nearly every day and more on the weekends."

"'King of Womanizing'? I actually like that name."he smirked

"Don't let your ego get too much or it will be very bad thing. Trust me."Lily said

"Trust you? You experience something like this before?"he asked

Lily turn and stood in front of him, stopping him in his path.

"I will have you know that I-"

Before Lily could even finish her side of the argument they heard a loud gun shot fired in the night. Lily's eyes widen when she heard it from...the direction Viktor came. She grabbed Roy's hand and ran towards the source.

"Where are we going?"he asked, trying to kept up.

"The gun shot...It was coming from the direction Viktor went! He could be in danger!"Lily yelled

"And you think it's safe for us to go there? You know we could get shot!"Roy yelled back

"Don't worry, we are two high skilled alchemist. One that can shoot fire from his hands and one that use alchemy with a clap of the hands!"she exclaimed

Roy gave up, she was right. He kept a spare of his special gloves in his pockets at all times, in case of an emergency. They ran towards the source of the gun shot, an alley way. When they went in, Lily almost thought she was seeing things when she saw Viktor slummed on the wall of a building, his back to the wall. Lily let go of Roy and ran towards Viktor, not sure if it was really him. She dropped to her knees next to him, touching his arm, she knew he was real. She looked down at his shirt and saw a bloody gaping hole in his stomach area. He was still alive but just barely.

"Viktor..."she breathed

"Lily,"he turned his head,"I'm sorry you had to see this. I wasn't planning for you to see any of this."he was losing his voice already.

"Who did this to you?"asked Roy from behind Lily.

"I...I...I wish I could tell you but I can't."he said

Lily gasped when Viktor began coughing up blood, some even gotten on her dress. She grabbed his hand in a iron grip.

"Viktor! Viktor! Stay with me! Don't leave me like this! Your not dying like this!"Lily yelled

As she said this, Roy had a strong feeling of deja vu. She said something like this when they were in the warehouse...that night he got shot. He laid a hand softly on the wound through his cloths as he remember that night. For a brief moment Roy thought he saw himself in place of Viktor. He finally snapped back to reality when Viktor spoke softly.

"Lily...I want you to grow strong, become the woman I know you will become. Don't ever give up and trust only your friends. Ever since I saw you as a baby, I protected you with my life, given anything you wanted and so much more. I was lucky to see you walk your first steps, talk your very first words, held you hand when you were scared, read you bedtime stories you wished to hear, even taught you everything I know about alchemy. I'm sorry I have to leave you like this, Lillian."Viktor spoke softly to her.

Lily eyes wept as she listen to Viktor's words. No, no, this shouldn't be happening! This is all a dream! A dream, damn it! But, it was hardly a dream when she could smell and even feel the blood. Viktor closed his eyes, a smile on his face. His grip loosen in Lily's hand until it slipped from her grasp and onto the cold, hard ground.

"Lily, if I go get some medical help, Viktor could-"

"It's no use, Roy. He's gone. He is dead and no one can help him now,"Lily said in a cold voice

An idea struck her,"Unless...unless I do it."

"Do what?"Roy asked, not liking where this was going.

Without answering, Lily reached into her purse, pulling out a long, metal nail filer. She open her hand and placed it against the soft skin, she pressed hard on it, sliding it down, blood seeped out. Before she could do anymore damage, Roy quickly grabbed her arm, twisting her face him. He held the arm which held the nail filer.

"What the devil are you doing!"he asked

With blank eyes,"I'm going to bring Viktor back. I'm going to use alchemy to summon him back from the afterlife. I'm using...the 'Forbidden Taboo'..."she said

Getting down on his knees as well, he grabbed her shoulders and held her there as he peered in her eyes.

"Listen to me, Lily. Viktor is gone and he is never coming back! And don't you dare try bringing him back using alchemy! Why do you think it's called 'Forbidden'? Because it's dangerous! You could even die yourself. And..and I'm not letting you die, you got it? It was Viktor's time to go and...and no one can change that!" Roy yelled at her with fire in his eyes.

After these words hit Lily like a ton of bricks, she dropped the nail filer and slammed herself into Roy's chest, her arms circling him as she nearly crushed him to her. It was like Roy was her lifesaver in a sea of her troubles. She buried her head in his chest as she wept her little blue eyes out. As if the heavens were crying themselves, rain poured from the sky heavily onto the two. Roy, after a few minutes, he encircle his own arms around the young woman in his arms. He closed his eyes, resting his head on top of hers. He let her cry as a single tear rolled down his face as well.

* * *

Author Notes: Wow, a whole lot of reviews. Man, I hope you like this chapter! This one has been in my mind from the very start, no wonder it came out quickly. Anyway, enjoy the chapter! Cheers!

Also, review! I keep this up so I have to remind you. Need some reviews to continue, even a flame will help.


	17. A Cloudly Day

Disclamier: I own nothing of Full Metal Alchemist!

----

Mary smiled as she shook the last hand for the evening and watched as a group of people walked out of the house. She wore a plan, black dress, her black hair in a braid along her back. She sighed as she looked towards the closed door beside her. It had been closed for as long as that night happened. She just hoped the person behind it hadn't closed their heart. Mary hugged herself as she tried to keep from falling apart, someone had already done that for her.

"She hasn't come out, has she?"asked a male voice coming to stand beside her.

She shook her head,"Nope. As long as I knew Lily, she never...she never cried so much in her life. Even the ordeal with Adrian, she only cried for one day but never this long. I'm worried, Leo. Lily...she is falling apart before me and I can't do nothing but watch. I want to cry along with her but I will never understand her pain. She knew Viktor longer then we did, in some sense, she is the only one allowed to cry."Mary said weakly

Leo hugged Mary as a tear rolled down her pale cheeks,"She will get through this, Mary. I know her as much as you do, she is strong but right now, she needs to feel human. Let her cry and when she is done, we will be together again. Trust me."he said softly

She touched his hand and put on another smile,"You are always the comforting one."

"I know. Now, let's get ready for the funeral tomorrow. The wake was tough on all of us."Leo took her hand and lead her out of the room.

---

Leo was straightening his tie in front of the mirror when the door bell rang. Finishing with his tie, he open to door, surprised to see Rick and Lexi there, all dressed up in black or at least very dark clothing. Moving aside, he let them in, closing the door behind him. Leo notice Rick looking at Lily's bedroom door.

"How is she?"he asked

"As good as you can get when your adoptive father dies right in front of you,"Leo replied, leaning against the wall.

Rick glared at the blonde man before returning back to the door,"H-has she ever come out?"

"Only for the bathroom and to get some food. That's basically it."he shrugged

"I see. Is she coming to the funeral?"

"I would hope so. Mary just tried to get her out but you are more then welcome to try."he gesture to the door.

"Can I come with you, brother?"asked Lexi

Rick smiled,"Let me go first, I am her boyfriend after all."

Lexi frown but let her brother go on ahead. Finding the bedroom door unlocked, Rick walked in, shutting the door behind him. He saw most of the room was in a mess, the bed unclean, dirty cloths all over, even a pile of plates sat in a corner. He looked over until he found Lily, sitting at her vanity table, looking at a diamond and ruby bracelet, letting it catch light from the windows.

"Lily...love?"

"Do you know what Viktor said right before he died? He said 'I'm sorry I have to leave you like this, Lillian.'. He could say 'I love you' or even 'Good-bye'."she said, bitterly, not facing Rick.

"Like that means anything. He said he would call me when he got back to the hotel, he even promise me for God's sake!"she threw down the bracelet on the table.

Rick took a step forward as she continue to rant on.

"And then...he goes off to a strange alley way, get's shot in the fucking stomach and leaves with telling me why he had to die! He is such a asshole for dying!"she yelled

Rick placed a hand on her shoulder,"Lily, you have to let it go, honey. He is dead, now. At least he died, seeing you one final time. Now, we have to go to Viktor's funeral."he said smoothly

"If...If I go, it just means...he is never coming back."

Her body began to shake as she began to weep into her hands. When Rick tried to console her again, she ripped herself away from his grasp and walked until she stopped at the foot of her bed. Rick notice something along her wrist, it was already healing but it looked like it hurt. She turn her head, noticing at what he was starring at.

"You know...I even tried to commit suicide right before he died. A slash along the wrist, it was slow but efficient. But,"she shook her head,"Mary and Leo came to my rescue again. Wrapped up my wound until it stopped bleeding, gather me in their arms and let me cried in their arms for the rest of the night until I fell asleep. Without them, I would be dead by now and probably resting beside Viktor."Lily said, grabbing her wrist in her hand.

"But, that's crazy, Lily! You know how insane and stupid that was. When someone dies, they die and doesn't mean someone has to commit suicide to be with them!"exclaimed Rick

"Once you think about, Rick. Without him, I don't know where I would turn up. Where my mother would turn up before she died. I could've be sent to a terrible orphanage, or be left with a terrible family...but, she choose him. My mother choose Viktor. It's Fate. He taught me, clothed me, feed me, put a roof under my head and he always wanted me to call him father. Now, he is dead, I can't do that. Never again."she said

Rick had enough, he storm over to him, turning her around to face him, he slammed his lips against hers in a fierce kiss. When he let go of her, he rested his forehead on hers.

"Lily...I love you. I would do anything for you but I will never allow you to kill yourself for me. I would want you to live on, just like Viktor would have wanted. Don't ever act so crazy again, promise me?"he asked softy.

When she nodded, he backed away from her. He brushed a stand of hair from her face as he smiled.

"We should really get you clean up before we go. I know Viktor wouldn't let you be dirty on his day."he joked

Lily laughed for what seem like forever. Rick grabbed her hand and walked out of the room to get her ready.

---

Rick had a firm grip on her hand as both they and all of friends of Viktor stood outside, the sky was dark and cloudy, almost reflecting everyone's mood. There was a lot more people then Lily had expected to come, nearly one hundred it seems, maybe even more. She turn her head, seeing her friends, Mary, Leo, Lexi, and even Sheska came. Of course, she saw her co-workers, expect...him. She was surprised to not see him here, she had gotten so used to him that she could pin point him out in the crowd. She was bit surprised and sad when she didn't see him. Lily turn her head back around when a priest walked up to the platform, before the mahogany coffin, waiting to be put down.

He coughed, getting everyone attention,"Earlier this week, a faithful and righteous man died, taken from us and into the hands of God. Viktor Timothy Marshall. A fine name for a fine man. Of course, he was known as 'Earth Alchemist' or just Viktor. He had retired nearly twenty or so years back with the title of General Marshall, he could have become Fuehrer if he wanted to. But, Viktor wanted to be free, in other words, and help others he couldn't do while in the military,"

The priest continue,"Well, at an end, he did that. He helped many, even with emotional and physical pain, he was always there. Now, we rest this great man into the beloved ground. Before we do that, the last person to see him alive, Lily Marshall, will now speak a few words."

Lily squeezed Rick's hand as she heard people crying in the crowd, damping their eyes with handkerchiefs. Taking a deep breath, she slipped from his grasp and walked towards the platform. The priest shook her hand and said a few words just as he was leaving. Getting up, Lily took some pieces of paper from her purse, she almost dropped them with her shaky hands. She looked towards the coffin beside her and towards the crowd.

"Viktor...he was truly a great man and human being. I have known him since I was born, he took care of me, taught me alchemy, and even took action when someone was picking on me,"she smiled softly,"He took my mother in when no one else would. I do not have a photograph of her but Viktor use to tell me that I look exactly like her, and I believed him. Viktor was a great man, great teacher, great father figure, and even great alchemist. He will be surely missed,"Lily turn her head back to the coffin.

"Rest in peace Earth Alchemist Viktor."

Just as she got off the platform did the coffin was lowered into the ground and three men were already grabbing shovels and pouring dirt over the wooden frame. Rick gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek when she returned. Everyone began to leave the site but Lily stayed where she was.

"Are you ready to go, Lily?"asked Mary

Lily smiled,"Nah. You guys go on ahead, I will be with you in a minute. I would...I would like a moment alone with Viktor."

"Sure thing, honey."Mary hugged her tightly and kissed her a cheek.

Leo only gave her a hug before escorting the other two women away. Rick stayed behind for a few more minutes before asking her to call him when she gets back home. Once they were out of sight, Lily turned to the fresh grave, already filled with dirt. Wind blew her hair and skirt behind her.

"I thought when you would show up."Lily said, sensing someone behind her.

"Sorry. I couldn't get a good place but I did hear parts your speech. It was...very lovely."

"You know I was getting worried when you did show up,"she turn her head,"Roy."

Roy smirked,"I thought I would never see the day when you were worried about me again."he walked up beside her.

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"I don't know really. It feels like without Viktor that life has become empty. But, I know Viktor wants me to stay strong for him and me."Lily said

"He was a good man, Lily,"

"Yeah, everyone keeps saying that a lot."

"I wish I could get to know him like you did. It would be a blessing to have him as a mentor, you are very lucky to learn from him. He was one of the best, maybe not as me,"Roy joked.

Lily smiled,"Whatever you say, Colonel."

He slipped something in her hand, Lily turn and saw a long, thin box. Lifting it up to eye level, she looked at Roy.

"It's...You can say it's a late birthday gift."Roy said simply.

Opening it up, she was surprised to see three train tickets, all leading to Raislen from Central.

"Sir?"

"Those are train tickets, as you can see to your hometown, Raislen, I believe. They are for you, Mary, and even Leo. I want you, especially you, and your friends to go there for a month to relax."he said

"But, what about my job? If I don't report-"

He cut in,"I have already rearrange it with King Bradley, he was more then happy to let you have a vacation. You have had a hard and exhausting in your first year here. Having to deal with the fan club coming into town, rescuing Miss Master and having to endure hours of pain to protect her, and even carried me to my apartment when I was too drunk to even know how to open a door."he smiled wickedly at her, causing to look away when she turn beet red.

"I...I don't know what to say, sir..."

"Just accept them, Marshall. And that is an order."

Lily nodded, a smile on her face. She could go back home, away from the city, away from paper work, away-well, partly-from Mary's fan club, and away from the endless stress. Turn around, she surprised Roy by launching herself at him in a tight hug. Her grip loosen when something hit her, she smiled and started to laugh.

"What is so funny?"he asked

"I just think it's funny that I always seem to find myself in your arms all the time, it's like someone put opposite magnetizes in us. It's too bad that I think your a jackass all the time."Lily let go.

"I think I may have been referred as basterd, ass, jerkface, and most popular, jerkass."he joked

"Hey! Lily!"

They turn their heads, seeing Mary and Leo running up towards them. Mary was double over in front of them, trying to catch her breath. Lifting her head up she pointed a finger at Lily.

"You! You said you would only be a minute it's been ten! You lied! You lied to your only friends!"she yelled

Lily raised an eyebrow at her,"You...have been timing me?"

"Of course! When someone says a minute, they should mean a minute!"exclaim the wild woman.

Lily sighed, running her fingers in her hair.

"What's that, Lily?"asked Leo, pointing to the box in her hands.

"This? These are train tickets for all three of us to Raislen, a gift from Roy."

Mary looked at Lily before turning towards Roy. He nearly fell backwards when Mary took her turn to hug him.

"Thank you! Thank you! I can get to the place where everything started and free of charge!"she exclaimed as she let go of him and grinned.

"Your welcome...I guess."he said

"Are...you going to hug me?"asked Roy to Leo

"Nah,"he shrugged his shoulders,"I'm more of a butt slapper kind of guy!"

When Leo raised his hand, Lily slapped it away,"Ok, if you do that, I will have to cut off your hands."she warned

Leo pouted and put his hands at his side. Lily turn towards Roy again.

"Well...Colonel, sir, it was a...pleasure working with you these pasts months. Thank you for the train tickets, it was...very thoughtful. I will see you in a month, Roy."Lily said

She bowed and took both her friend's hands and walked in the middle away from the grave site.

Roy sighed at their retreating forms,"It's defiantly going to be quiet without those three."

----

Author Notes: Hey you guys! Hope you like this chapter! It was sad but...it had to be done. It was real, no dream of Lily's like her dream of Roy's funeral. Guess what! Edward and Al are coming over soon! How, when, and even why they are coming, you have to see that for yourself. We are going to see more of Raislen now and probably see new faces and familiar ones. Hmm, Lily and Ed...both hate Roy (at least on the outside, I think)...are both alchemist and can perform alchemy without circles, have blonde hair, and both lived in towns that start with 'R'. I wonder how they are going to like each other. Ed and Roy...hmm...What? Oh, sorry, had impure thoughts there! Anyway, before I ramble more, I will leave you guys until next time! So long, friends!


	18. Returning Home

Lily sighed as she leaned back in the trains seat, both seats next to her were empty, their owner's gone off in search of victims or more club members. She already knew it will be a long trip to Raislen even with her two friends. She looked over to her right, glancing at the river that flew right next to the train, it was thin but long and had clear water, many flowers and bushes grew near by. Lily sighed once again, now out of pure boredom. Few more hours and she will be home...Hers and Viktor's home...It was hard to believe he was dead and buried six feet under. Right after the funeral, she spent the day with her boyfriend, Rick. They cuddled up in his bed and laid there in silence as Rick stroked her hair softly. Rick seemed different then usual, probably from the shock of finding his girlfriend tried to kill herself or because his father was looking a job for him, probably going back to trying to become a State Alchemist. Lily did made a list of possible names for Rick, and some...Mary put down as well, but those are too mature for you youngsters. Lily was snapped out her thoughts when Mary's face appeared in front of hers. She was sitting in the seat behind her, her head hanged upside down in front of Lily.

"Hey, hey, Lily! Lookie! Look what one of the passengers made for me!"

Mary fell forwards and landed in the seat besides Lily. Plopping down a couple of colorful items, she sat there with a innocent face. Lily looked down in her lap and saw hand puppets...of Roy, herself, Leo, Mary, a clown, and what looked to be an alligator. She raised an eyebrow at her friend, unable to think of what to say.

"It's hand puppets! Leo and I are going to perform a puppet show with them! What to see my first act!"she asked

Without waiting for an reply, Mary grabbed the Roy Puppet and the Mary one. She began to perform in different voices.

ROY: Oh! I'm so lonely! I wish someone would love me!

MARY:(MARY appears out of nowhere) Oh, darling Royakins! I finally found you! I love you with all my heart!

ROY: Then kiss me!(The MARY and ROY start kissing)

LILY:(Looks angry) HEY! Lay off my boyfriend!

(MARY and LILY fight like crazy! An alligator appears out of nowhere and attacks ROY by bitting at the neck)

"And then the alligator goes 'Rah, rah, only I will have Roy...' and then the clown explodes! I hate clowns!"Mary finished

Lily looked shocked and speechless at her friend only to find her voice a few minutes later,"...I don't know what to say to that, Mary. I'm confused and yet...wanting to know what happens..."

"Yeah, it could use some work. But I'm going to make some hand puppets myself soon! Then, 'The Roy Mustang Puppet Hour' will live! Live I said!"

At this, Mary drifted off to reunited with Leo, who was flirting with some female passengers. Lily looked at the puppet of herself and the Roy one, sliding them on her hands, she started to make the Lily one slap Roy around and smiling softly, feeling silly. She put the puppets down and went back to looking out of the window. The two puppets laid side by side, their cloth hands touching each other.

---

Lily sighed as she walked alone on the long, very long road to her house, carrying nearly five bags behind her and one heavy one on her back. Both Mary and Leo went off to their homes to see their family. She wiped her brow from sweat and glanced up at the house, nearly five yards from her. It was the same two story, white painted, flowers under every window, a balcony on the right, and a forest in the back, home she grew up in. Finally, she was at the door, her feet aching as well as her back. Fishing for the key in her pocket, she open the door and was surprised at what she saw. Many empty boxes of pizza, several cans of soda on the floor, some books laying on the coffee table, as well as some stacks of old newspaper.

"If I didn't know better, I would say I have stumble upon Roy's apartment, and Viktor is the neat freak in the family,"Lily sighed, setting her bags down.

As she clean the house, the only real clean rooms in the house were her room, and Viktor's bedroom. She would count the basement but it was locked with a special alchemy circle, thanks to Viktor. She never went in there ever since she could remember. She was too tired to deal with it right now, and maybe for the whole vacation. Finally, after taking out every pizza box and can out, Lily plopped down on the couch, a cup of instant noddles in her hand, she was about to eat when the phone began to ring wildly. Lily groaned and picked herself from the couch and walked towards the kitchen's phone. Picking up the receiver and holding to her ear, she sat on the counter.

"'ello? Marshall residence."she chewed on her food.

"So, it's really you, Lily!"she almost choked on her food once she heard that voice,"I thought I saw you coming from the train!"

"L-Lucius? Lucius Reid?"

"The one and only, unless you know another Lucius Reid."he said

She ran a hand through her hair,"Oh, my God! I haven't seen you or heard about you in the longest time, ever since...well, you know, that night."

He chuckled softly,"Yeah, sorry about that. You just ran before I could a chance to explain myself and then...you ignore me like the plaque since then."

"All is forgiven, it's not in my nature to hold a grudge for like...5 years, 2 months, and 19 days, now could I?"Lily asked, sounding serious

"You have been counting?"

"Maybe,"she smirked inwardly

"So, anyway, I heard you became a State Alchemist, how is that working out for you?"Lucius asked, feeling nervous

"Alright, I suppose. Not much different then normal jobs, besides having to go into action like every month."

"What?"

"Never mind,"

Lily looked up from the phone when she heard the front door bell ring,"Oh, sorry, Lucius, somebody is at the door, gotta hang up now."

"Sure, but can we meet later, like tomorrow at the local Café..say eleven?"he asked

"Yep, see you there!"

Lily smiled as she hung up the phone, jumping off the counter, and walking towards the door. Upon opening the door, her smile disappear as a look of fear appeared and quickly closed the door slam shut. She rested her back on the door, her body shaking.

"Was...that...how...did he...?"her sentence was unclear and mumbled up.

She screamed when _he _knocked on the window that was right next to her, smiling oddly. She shut the curtains shut, and peered at the other one, seeing him again there. She repeated to shutting the curtains, only for him to appear at the other one. This happen until all of the curtains in the living and downstairs were shut. By this time, Lily was huffing and puffing from running back and forth. Still freaking out, Lily climbed the stairs upstairs, going past her room and out of the balcony attached to her room. She locked the glass panel and leaned herself against the cool glass, sighing in relief. She looked up when she heard someone climbing up the side of the house, the figure almost falling off the edge of the balcony. She gulped and kept her body still as the figure walked towards her.

_'This isn't happening...this is happening...!'_

"Holy..."the figure breathed,"You know how hard it is to climb vines up a wall?"

Lily open her eyes, not believing what she was hearing and seeing. There, stood in front of her, Roy Mustang, dressed in his military uniform, sounding...like Mary.

"Wha-What's going on?"she asked

Roy...no...Mary...Roary(?) lifted their head up to face Lily,"Oh, sorry to scare you like that, honey. Was testing something out..."

A hand reached up, patting around the neck area until it reached something and started to pull of...skin! In a instant, long, black locks fell down, resting on the back, and a familiar face appeared as they carried a face of Roy. Mary was dressed in military uniform, and looking slightly taller (with elevated boots).

"Can you forgive-

Before Mary could even finish her sentence, she fell down to the the ground, a big bump on her forehead. A smashed flower pot laid next to her. She blinked, rubbing her nasty bump on her forehead, she sat up, starring at the now fuming Lily.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"For scaring me like that! Do you know how scary that was, seeing a smiling Roy outside your window, appearing out of nowhere! I almost had an heart attack!"she yelled

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"Mary walked on her knees and grabbed Lily's pants leg with tearful eyes,"Don't hurt me anymore, I promise I won't do it again! I was just testing out what Jamie from Central gave me before we left!"

Lily reached for the mask in Mary's hand, lifting to the light, she admire the workmanship on the rubber. She was surprised how one woman could make something like this! it was so real, that it was hard not believe that she was starring at Roy himself. She sighed in defeat, losing feeling in her leg.

"Fine, your forgiven. Just get off my leg!"she yelled

Mary got to her foot and saluted at her friend,"Onto it, ma'am!"

"Stop calling me that!"

She turn and walked back into the house, Mary following her.

"Do you want to see the rest of the costume? I even got the underwear from Roy!"she yelled

"I don't even want to know how you got those!"Lily yelled

---

Lily sighed softly, laying back on the bed beneath her. It was so quiet...so peaceful...she hated it. Even with her friends with her, at least they made noise. Now, the home deadly quiet, only sounds were coming from her breathing and the grandfather clock downstairs, ticking away. She didn't know what to do with a house this big and only herself looking after it. And now, the silence was killing her inside. She was thinking about getting a pet, but that wouldn't work, she would have to bring it back to Central. The only pet she got was as a kid and that was a toad she found out in the rain. She loved it and even called it Warty, until Warty gave her warts of her own. Maybe she would get a goldfish, it was likely to die in less then a month and kept care of itself. She sighed once again, giving up her quest already for finding a pet. Getting up from the bed, Lily got ready for bed.

It was around nine in the morning when Lily woke up. Taking a quick shower, making her hair was brushed, her mouth minty fresh, she walked downstairs for a extremely small breakfast. At ten, Lily finally went to get dress out of her pajamas. Dressing into a white tube top, blue bell bottoms, a white-sheer top, and high heeled boots. Grabbing he purse, she walked towards the town's café. Seeing that she was a bit early, she sat down at one of the tables outside and order herself a cup of coffee. Leaning back in the wire chair, she could feel the hot sun beating at her bare neck while the rest of her body sat under the green umbrale. Lily smiled at the waitress that brought her coffee and slowly sipping on it as she looked around for the red hair man.

"Waiting long?"

Turning her head, she saw, instead of the cute, young boy with the long hair she remember as, there was a very taller and handsome man with short hair. She stopped herself from drooling in front of him, it looked like those years he grown up to look like a model. Getting out her hazy thoughts of him and her together, she gesture with her free hand to the empty chair in front of her.

"Please, sit,"she said softly

He smiled and sat in front of her. Gods that smile! If she didn't have a boyfriend and he wasn't into guys, she would crazy with him in front of her. After he order himself a drink, he was the first one to speak.

"You...look well, Lily."he said

"Likewise, Lucius,"she nearly purred,"I would hug you welcome but I think your boyfriend would get angry at me."

"No, no, we broke up two years ago. We got into a big fight about living together, he was totally against it and I was. He said we were going too far and needed to slow down when we were already thinking about getting married."Lucius said

"Sorry."

"Don't be, he used to take up all of the covers,"he smiled

Lily laughed before calming down,"So, are you seeing anyone?"

"No, looking around really. Mostly hitting the bars but sadly...no one are into guys with red and short hair. If they want long hair, they should have stuck with women. SO, how about you? Are you sharing your love with anyone special?"he asked

"Yep, I have a boyfriend now. His name is Rick Master, he is a bit older then I am but I do like older guys. He was a father in the military, he is like Major General or something."

"Really? Is he cute?"Lucius leaned forward, expectedly.

"Yeah, he has his quirks. Rick has dark hair, a few inches taller then you, and has a huge-"Lily stopped herself from going too far.

"Hey! Don't get any big ideas about stealing my boyfriend, alright! I will fight you for him!"she snapped

He put his hands in defeat,"Relax, I mostly into blonds myself. As they say, 'Blonds have the most fun'."

She smiled,"True, point."

"Are you hungry?"he asked

"Starved."

---

After lunch, Lily and Lucius walked around town. Raislen didn't seem to change since she last left, only things that changes was they made a new ice cream shop which they took advantage of. Taking two cones of three scoops of vanilla, strawberry, and finally chocolate, they walked around the forest area, a playground laid down the hill. They sat down on the bench, looking out to the small children's park.

"So, how are you holding up?"Lucius asked suddenly

"Excuse me?"

"How are you holding up with Viktor's death?"

Lily's face fell as she looked towards the ground for a minute before answering,"I try not to think as him being dead, more of like, he is on a long vacation. I keep getting this feeling that he is still watching me, somewhere. That is stupid of me to say that, seeing as how I saw him die right in front of me. I do miss him, you know? If I don't have feelings for the poor guy, I have no heart! He literally raised me and he is not related to me at all!"

"I'm sorry for your lost,"he patted her on the back,"I did heard that the mayor is thinking about making a statue of him in the city or something like that."

"I can really image a bronze figure of Viktor standing on the park, as kids jumping and playing around it. Though, I hope no one puts spray paint on it."Lily joked

He smiled and looked up at the sky, soon his smile faded and replaced with a frown,"And here I hope this day would be good..."

"What?"

"It's raining..."right on cue, rain began to pour down on them and the rest Raislen.

Lily dropped her ice cream it began to drip on her hand with the rain. She regretted wearing her sheer top when the cold rain started to kick in. The children below them started to run back home and she cursed to herself.

"Crap! My home is nearly an hour away from here and same as yours,"she turn to Lucius

"Good point, maybe we should head towards a store and wait there until the rain stops."

He draped his jacket over her small frame, which she return with a smile. It wasn't much but it was better then nothing. Lily followed him along the path back to town. The rain was getting heavier and heavier by each passing minute. Just as they walked back into town, Lily heard a soft sound behind them, turning around, she was surprised to see a small red fox looking up at them with pleading eyes. Bending down on one knee, she held a hand in front of it, it but it head into the hand and started licking it. She notice one of it's hind legs was beaten and bloody, looking like it got into a fight.

"Aw, poor pup. The rain must have drove him out of his home, and it looks like it got into a fight recently."Lily said

"Let it be, Lily, it would have a family."Lucius said behind her

Lily looked straight at the small fox,"Do you have a family, little pup?"she asked it

It nuzzle it's head in her hand again, with sad eyes,"I guess it doesn't. Poor thing. Lost it's family and almost got killed."she said, stroking it's head

Taking off Lucius' jacket, she wrapped it in the warm clothing and held it against her chest as she stood up.

"Are you going to keep that...thing?"asked Lucius

"I'm just going to follow the Law of Equivalent Exchange. I take this fox, treat it, heal it, feed it, and in return, I have less money in the bank."she smiled

Lucius sighed,"Fine have it your way. Your are so going to repay me for the jacket."

Lily rolled her eyes playfully and followed Lucius back down the road, the small fox sleeping soundly in her arms.

---

Author's Note: Hehe, sorry for the late of update, couldn't think of anything else. It seems Miss Lily has gotten herself a companion as well. Was going for a cat but foxes are so cute! I like the Roy Mask and Mary chasing her down to show her. It does wonder how she got the underwear. Anyway, I didn't give up on this story, I love it! And I got good news for you guys! Ed and Al was stopping by next chapter! Yay! It's going to be fun an exciting! Also, I have an idea for a chapter, coming up soon, that I think everyone would enjoy! Even the mole people. Please review, it keeps the story going!


	19. Enter the Elric Brothers

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Full Metal Alchemist or anything in that universe. But, I'm saving enough money to get some shares.

* * *

It was a rough week with Tobias, Lily's new pet fox, having him staying in the house and not chewing through her cloths. But finally, she set boundaries with him. Like, she would have him outside mostly part of the day, putting a little doggy or in this case a fox door that lead outside and into the garden in the back of the house. That actually stopped the crows from picking at the herbs Viktor had planted. The hardest part was when Tobias sleeping with her on the bed, he was a real kicker ladies and gentlemen. Kicks from a fox equals scratches, deep ones. She finally put a bed in her room, right next to the sliding door, so he could look out at the night sky. Tobias seemed happy being with Lily, as did Lily. It was a welcoming presence in her home, at least she won't die from loneliness in the house.

Lily was currently relaxing in the tub, a bubble bath. Scented candles decorated the dim bathroom as smooth and gentle music played in the background. Thankfully, Mary came over to fix the two of them a lunch (Leo would've come later, he was on a date). She hum along side to the music, grabbing a wash cloth, she began to wash her legs and arms. This was peaceful. She closed her eyes, resting her head on the edge of the tube, feeling very sleepily at the moment. Now, only if she had a bigger tube, her boyfriend, more candles, and possibly some rose petals instead of bubbles. She would have to ask Rick about that when she got back to Central. She yawned and stretch herself in the tube, ready to take a small nap before lunch.

"HELP! HELP!"someone yelled outside of the bathroom.

Opening her eyes and sitting up, she screamed in fright as Mary came busting in, and covered her chest with her arms before her friend saw anything. Mary herself looked scared herself and seem to be huffing and puffing, like she ran a few miles.

"Mary!"Lily screamed,"What the hell is going on here!"

"Big.."she huff,"Big...metal...robot...man...out..side!"she said in between breaths.

Mary looked more scared then she had ever been in her life and that was saying something. She sighed, just when she thought she could have one moment of peace to herself, now this happens. Grabbing a robe and putting it on, tying it tightly, she walked towards the front door, Mary behind her. Tobias was growling at the open door way, his fur on high ends, and getting ready to attack at any moment notice.

"Heel, Tobias,"barked Lily

Tobias stopped and walked behind Lily, and sat behind her, proudly. Glancing at the open door way, it seem Mary was right after all. Well, instead of a robot, it looked to be a giant armor suit, only standing on it's own, and seemed scared of Tobias.

"May I help you?"she asked, acting calm and not screaming in terror like Mary.

A boy in a red, long jacket, his blond hair in a braid behind his back, stepped away from the armor man and stood in front of Lily. He looked to be fifteen or maybe was it twelve? She couldn't tell by his size.

"Yes, we are to see Viktor Marshall."

----

The trio of sorts, sat in silence at the table. Two on one side and the other in front of them. Lily was the one alone (dressed now), busy pouring each of them a cup of steaming hot tea, a frown on her face. Facing her was a young lad, with blond hair and braided hair, short as it seems. To his side was a large, metal suit of armor, even though it isn't possible, unless some someone was in there, moving and talking on it's own. The blond boy was starring hard at Lily, waiting for her to talk and break the silence.

Taking a sip from her cup, Lily sighed and set it back down,"So, let me get this straight You came here to talk to Viktor Marshall, saying he contacted you nearly two weeks ago?"

"Yes, for the fifth, thousand time,"he snapped, annoyed,"Now, tell us where he is."

"Brother..."begged the tin man

"Where is he hiding? I will find him you know,"he stood up from his chair, his hands on the table.

"...He is dead."Lily said softly

This shut him up, he sat back down in his chair.

"I'm surprise you haven't heard about his death, Edward."

He was surprised she knew his name when he didn't tell her,"How did you..."

"Know your name? Don't play stupid, everyone knows your name Full metal but only people in the military knows your face. By your experiences, I'm really shock that you joined the military when you were 12, I'm impressed."

Ed blushed and went to sip his tea to hide his face.

"So, how do you know this?"he asked a moment later

"I'm currently employed in the military, as an alchemist. I do read your reports when Mustang is finished with them. Quiet a bit of adventures for you two, I'm jealous. I'm stuck at work, doing boring paper work and you are out there doing real alchemy."she sighed, frowning.

"Mustang? You mean you work for Roy Mustang?"

"Yeah, sadly. Been stuck with him since I got in. My friends think it's a blessing. Speaking of which..."

Turning her head around, she saw Mary peeking out from behind the couch.

"Mary, will you please get out of there...We have guests over and it's rude for you to glare at them behind a couch, no doubt."Lily said

"Not until that robot man stops looking so scary!"she exclaimed

"Al isn't scary, right Al?"asked Ed

He shook his head, feeling embarrassed of what Mary said.

Lily sighed,"Mary, could you please finish up lunch like you were before you started to freak out?"

Mary frown, earning a glare from the blond. They stared at each other before Mary look disappointed, losing the silent starring eye contest. Getting up from behind the couch, she moved to the kitchen and disappear behind the door.

"So,"turning to the brothers,"Now, that is out of the way. Can we get back to the subject of Viktor contacting you?"

"He told us he heard that me and Al that he had some notes on Philosopher's Stone and wanted us to have a look on them."Ed said

"Really now? I thought the Philosopher's Stone was just a old wives tale. What else did he tell you?"

"He said we should come here in two weeks, so he would have time to get the notes together."

Lily leaned back on her chair, tapping her chin, thinking. "I don't think Viktor was really interested in the Stone, only hearing about it once or twice when I was younger. Maybe he went back to work on it when I went to Central. It won't hurt to look, I suppose. I mean what else am I going to do?"she asked, mostly to herself.

She stood from the table, her cup empty."While we wait for lunch...shall we take have a brief look at Viktor's office?"she asked

"What about lunch...?"asked Al

"It's going to take forever for Mary to make a simple lunch. She can't cook for her life. She can even burn cold cereal...for some unknown reason. In the end, she would probably order pizza or whatever."she explain

The two brothers got up from the table and followed Lily down the hall. Walking up the stairs, and into the small office. Instead of books, papers, and even more boxes, they found...nothing. It was completely wiped out.

"What the...How come I didn't notice this place was empty? I have been here for a week!"Lily exclaimed

"I can explain that!"

Lily jumped back, seeing Mary standing behind them.

"When did you get here!"

"Just now. Anyway,"Mary cleared her throat,"While I was here the other day, I saw this place was a mess so I took the papers downstairs in the basement."

"The basement...? How did you get into the basement! What are you not telling me!"Lily yelled

"Relax, honey. I found a note, address to you, from Viktor. It had a key on top."Mary said

"You read her letter?"asked Ed

"Yeah, she is a weird one,"Lily nodded, "We actually did a test with her blood and she is ninety-nine percent human and one percent albino monkey. Still working on how that worked out."

Mary glared at them before returning back to normal,"As I was saying, there was a key on top of the note. It asked Lily to take down his stuff to the basement. I did that myself. It was a lot of work carrying down those heavy boxes. But, you should have seen how many-"Lily covered her mouth

"Mary...where is the key?"

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a golden key and handed it to Lily. She let got of her friend and looked at the key. Turning to the boys, she smiled.

"Well, let's go look for those notes."

----

It's been one week since they started their quest for any notes on the Philosopher's Stone, and had turn up empty since. Lily let the Elric brothers stay in a guest room while they were here. It would cost a fortune to stay at a hotel, at least a good one. Thankfully, Leo came over to cook for them. Mary was terrible at it and Lily was busy looking in the basement. The basement itself was big as the house, maybe a bit bigger, and there were probably millions (or at least getting there) of boxes of notes in there. Viktor was a busy man before he retire from the military. The basement was really furnish then Lily had original thought. Instead of gray stone walls, cobwebs, hard ground, it was pretty nice. Pale carpet and wallpaper, and even a desk off to the side.

Lily sighed from her side of her room, putting down another useless folder,"It's no use. If we do find anything, it going to take us months to read all of this!"

"What did he say about the Philosopher's Stone, Lily?"asked Al

"Really the same as always. Read about it in my studies and heard about it from Viktor, what the books couldn't tell me. All he said was that could do what alchemy could not without Equivalent Exchange. After that...When I tried to learn more about it, he would yell at me and told me to go to my room. Saying I was too young and shouldn't mess with that kind of thing."she said

"I even think Tobias knows about the Stone then I do."she gesture to the sleeping fox, curled next to the foot of the stairs.

"Anything else?"

"That's all! Get off my back already!"she yelled, falling down, laying on the carpet

"Sounds like someone needs some nourishment in them."a voice called up on top of the stairs.

Turning their heads, they look to see Mary coming down the stairs, carrying a tray of food. Once she reached the landing, she placed the tray on the only clear space available, the desk.

"So, how goes the research?"she asked, sitting down in the desk chair

"Terrible. We can't find anything yet and Lily's temper is not helping."complained Ed

"Watch it, Shorty."she growled out

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT YOU CAN EASILY STEP ON?"he yelled, Al holding him back.

"Wow,"Mary breath,"Everyone is on edge. I'm a little surprise you made it this far. I know the thing you help you! Roy Mustang Meatball Subs! Zero carbs in fat but extra delicious!"she smiled

A shoe collided with her head, leaving a nasty bump on her forehead,"Okay, another thing gone, your humor. I just have sandwiches."

She threw little sandwiches (in bags) to both Ed and Lily, with her bad aim, they landed on their head. She only had one left.

"Are you hungry, Al? You seem the only one sane."Mary said

"No, no, I'm alright."he said

"Suit yourself,"she had already begun eating the sandwich.

Putting her sandwich aside, Lily got up and put all her papers in the box and went to put them away, she reached for a box on the top shelf of a tall bookcase, she stopped when she heard Mary say something behind her back.

"You know during this week, I have notice some common things between Ed and Lily,"she counted each reason on her fingers," One; You both have blond hair. Two; Both alchemist in the military. Three; Both hate or dislike Roy Mustang, my God and Master, and finally number four; you can perform alchemy without a transmutation circle."

The room went silent after Mary said this. The brother's having shock faces on, and Lily a look of surprise and anger. Ed was the first one to speak.

"Is...that true?"he asked Lily

"A bit, yes. Can...can we just drop this conversation, please? I don't think it was wise of Mary to bring it up."she said, glaring at her friend

Without paying attention, Lily's hand hit a heavy box of paper that sat on the edge of bookcase. It came crashing down on top of her head. Taking off the box from her head, she starred at the pile of papers next to her. A thick, black, leather back, book laid on the pile of papers, it stood out from the white. A rather thick envelope laid on top, on further inspection, it had 'To Lily' written in the middle, Viktor's handwriting. Lily quickly picked up both envelope and the book. It looked old she could see the pages yellow and tattered. Strange writing decorated the surface, she never seen these kind of words, it's like a foreign language. As she tried to open it, it held closed, it wouldn't budge.

"What's that, Lily?"asked Mary

"I don't know..."she breath, staring at the book

"Well,"perked up the black head,"I think we had enough excitement for one day, hm?"

-----

Dinner was silent and quick(thankfully). Ed sat there, starring at Lily, who in return, stared at her plate, playing with her food. The mystery book she kept at her side and the letter in her pocket. Once she was done with her food, she took the journey up the stairs, to her room for the night.

After taking a shower to fresh her mind and slipping in a pair of pajamas pants and a over size shirt, she sat on her bed. Over by the window, Tobias laid sleeping, unknowing what was about to transpire. The black book resting near her legs, she grabbed the thick envelope from her bed side table. Taking a deep breath, she ripped off the outside paper and pulled out nearly ten pages of writing, all in Viktor's. Mentally preparing herself, she began to read.

_'Dear Lillian...'_

---

Author's Note: Ha! You probably thought I would never come back! But, I'm back and here to stay! Really, sorry for the delay. Was trying to figure what to do nextnot this chapter) and had to work out some bugs (a whole lot of bugs!). I have finally got it. It's set, it's solid, it's sexy, and it's...smelly? Sorry, couldn't think of anymore 'S' words unless the other one...Anyway, next chapter, we are going to read the letter!

Other News: I'm going to go to visit family for six whole days! Hopefully, I can convince my mom to allow me to rent a laptop for the trip so I can write like I never write before. My dad wants me to bring paper and pencil but I can't get this story when it's on paper to the computer, it will mess it all up! There is a strong chance that I shall get a laptop for that week and probably have more then one chapter to bring to all of you. Now, I'm going to go and eat some Pocky!

The best thing in this world is Pocky, with Roy Mustang and Anime in the close run.

Please review!


	20. Tales From The Past

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Full Metal Alchemist. Like every writer here, we own nothing of importance.

---

Dear Lillian,

If you are reading this, I'm probably dead or not able to tell you myself. I'm sorry if I ever scared, hurt, or saddened you by my untimely demise. I don't know how old you are now, while reading this. You may still be a teenager, or forty years old, or on your death bed. I just...have to tell some things I regret not telling you. My life. My part of the story I didn't want you to know. It's a long story, my dear child, but I hope you will bear with me and keep on reading.

I don't know where to begin; maybe around the time I met _her_. She was very beautiful, very caring, and showed me the light in the dark tunnel I called my life. Her name was Alana Cyrus. I was around twenty-five or close to it—the years sometimes blur together. I was fresh in the military, the youngest recruit .My heart was colder the ice itself. I would do what the military wanted, even kill someone, which I took pleasure in. I had loved the blood splattering on my face as I struck him or her down. I had no friends, period. Not when I was a child either.

I had just finished a job concerning a matter in the East. I was on my way to my crappy little apartment when I stopped as I heard a loud crash to my right. Pushing past a crowd around the scene of the noise, I stopped dead in my tracks at what I saw. It seemed an elderly lady, almost blind as a bat, had crashed into a cart of fruit. A figure of a woman was bending down and helping the old woman up and putting the fallen goods back on the cart, a smile on her face. The cart belonged to her and she wasn't getting mad or upset at the old lady, unlike a few guys I knew. Instead she was helping the old hag. Once she was done, she stood up from the ground, her chocolate hair falling short of her shoulders; she turned her head and her coffee eyes found me. We stared at each other for what seemed like forever until she turned her head back, cutting the stiff moment. She pushed the cart away as the crowd separated, finding other things that could amuse them. I stood there, staring through the spot where she once stood. I had to know everything about her!

I was able to get the information from a few nearby shops about the girl. They told me that she ran a flower and garden shop a few blocks down. After that, I went to get her file in the military records. Her name was Alana Lillian Cyrus, age twenty-two, born and raised in a town named Raislen, and she had come to Central after her parents closed their garden store. A few days later, I found myself standing near her store ever day, like she had me under a spell. She was someone I had never met before. She would give out money and even food to the beggars that came by. I almost lost my job watching her. I couldn't help it, she had me completely in a trance. I hardly ate or slept; I was losing weight and (God help me) my hair. Thankfully, the latter came back.

I remember how it happened, how I got the chance to talk to her. It was pouring sheets of rain, and I had nothing on me to cover myself. Only my casual clothes, which were paper thin. I forgot when I last ate something or even slept. But I knew I had to talk to her that day or my life would be over forever. Just as she was closing shop and walking back home, I got off my spot and tried to reach her before I collapsed on the cold, hard ground. Just before my eyesight went, I saw her running towards me.

When I awoke, I found myself in a strange place and bed. I was alone in this room, only the soft sounds of rain escape the silence. It was not much decorated but had one book shelf, a dresser, a desk, and finally the bed I was not resting on. Reaching my hand towards my head, my hand hit white bandages around my skull. Where was I? What happened? Who brought me here? Three things I wondered were soon answered when the door opened up and my angel—my obsession—came into the room. Wearing a pale blue dress with a white apron, she approached me. She carried a towel and a pitcher of water. She grabbed a chair and, dragging it towards the bed, she sat down beside me. She poured water on the towel and dabbed the wet rag on my forehead, where the bandages didn't cover. We had a long silence before I found my voice and spoke softly; if she wasn't so close, it would be very hard to hear.

"Why? Why are you doing this? You don't even know me."

She finished her task and placed the pitcher and rag on the ground before she spoke. "Because God has a plan for all of us, and I can't let His creatures fall to the ground in a weakened state, such as yourself. And besides, you did fall near my shop and if you died, I would lose a lot of business," she smiled.

What a smile! It was a true heart warming smile.

She continued, "A State Alchemist dying near a small flower shop would make anyone suspicious, and I would lose my job."

How did she know? I hadn't told her my name or anything. As if she was reading my thoughts, she plucked my pocket watch from the front of her apron and held it in front of me, letting it swung back and forth.

"It does not take a genius to know an Alchemist pocket watch from a normal one."

Placing the pocket watch in my hand, she leaned back in her chair.

"So, Alchemist, what may be thy name?" she asked.

"Viktor...Viktor Marshall." I answered.

"Well, Mister Marshall, you shall call me Alana Cyrus."

For the next few months, Alana and I got to know each other as friends. When I was off duty, I would help her around her shop—I _was_ known as the Earth Alchemist, after all. Though sometimes, when I tried to use alchemy to help her plants, they ended up exploding in my face. Alana would laugh and smile as I washed the dirt from my face. She had such a wonderful laugh; it was an choir of angels singing to me. I was outraged that an Alchemist like myself could resort to having dirt on my face, when I was known for having skills with plants and the ground! But, around Alana, it felt like I was...normal. I wasn't Viktor Marshall the Alchemist, the State's dog, the Earth Alchemist, I was...me. Just Viktor Marshall, no title to my name.

The next two years after that, we got even closer. I realized that my relationship with her wasn't based on a crush or friendship: I was falling in love with her. God damn it, every moment, thought, dream, and waking moment was about or with Alana. She was my savior, my angel sent down from heaven to show me the light. I finally got the courage to ask her out, and with a smile and a nod, she agreed. That night was truly magical. We danced the night away, had a big and delicious dinner, and finally laid on the ground, looking at the stars. We shared our stories of our childhood and our different sides of the track. Me, a rich boy coming from a family of known alchemists. And Alana, coming from a town that not many heard about, surviving her week's takings of flowers and vegetables, and nearly living in poverty. We were both in love with each other, we both knew it, and nothing could stop our love. Except one thing. My parents.

They despised her, saying she wasn't a proper lady, that she was lower then the dirt she took care of. They wanted me and Alana to never see each other and forget about our love. Mother said that she was going to marry me off to a family friend of theirs, the Armstrong's. By Gods, their daughter was hideous! I couldn't stand one second in a room with her without gagging. She was dull, not too bright, and not passionate. I didn't want to marry a woman I hardly knew or loved. I wanted Alana. Alana was the only one I could love and marry. So we did the only thing we could do—we ran. We ran and we never looked back.

We went to Alana's home town of Raislen. They welcomed me with open arms, like they had known me all their lives. I felt wanted, and with Alana at my side, I knew I was finally alive. There were valleys of green instead of the cold concrete of Central, woods where wild animals ran free instead of busy streets and noisy sidewalks. This was paradise. Alana's parents had died a few years prior to our visit so we stayed with her uncle who was the mayor of this fair city. We stayed there a few months, me trying to get a job and affordable home for Alana and I. When we finally got those things, we moved out of her uncle's home and into a small house on top of a hill, looking over the city. As the time passed, the house grew, and so did our love. Alana and I started to grow herbs right outside our house and giving them to the doctor to make medicine. I had gotten her a diamond ring, and I was planning to propose to her that following evening. Before I could utter a word, she turned and proposed to me. I happily agreed and kissed her with all my love for her. She almost fainted at the force of the kiss. We soon laughed about it when I told her I was going to propose to her before she did. We were happy, in love, and enjoying our lives together. Just when I thought I was done with my old life in Central, my new life ended. They found us.

I remember it was pouring down outside. Me and Alana were sitting near our fireplace reading when a knock came at the door. I was closest to the door, so I got up from my chair and walked over, thinking it was one of the villagers asking for something. Instead, I came face to face with a man dressed in military clothing, covered by a rain coat. It was Luke Darkco, a buddy of mine while I was still in the military. I remember our conversation and I will try to write it out for you. It went something like this:

"Marshall...It's good to see you," he breathed, a smile on his face.

"What do you want, Darkco? How did you find us?" I snarled.

I felt Alana's hand on my shoulder, easing my anger. "Mr. Darkco, was it? Viktor has told me much about you. May I ask what brings you here?" she asked.

"Actually, I needed to talk to Viktor. It's about his parents." The look on his face, I remember, was sad.

Of course, this got my attention. I sighed in defeat and let Luke walk past me and into our home. Alana took his wet coat from him, putting it on the rack nearby and offering him a seat at the kitchen table. Luke and I sat across from each other and stared at each other as Alana went to fetch some hot tea for him. Once she came back, putting cups of tea in front us, Luke began to speak. Alana sat next to me, holding my hand the whole time.

"I will get to the point, Viktor. It's your parents, both of them. Last month, your father suffered a heart attack and died. Your mother went in denial—she stopped eating and sleeping. Her skin became shallow, and her eyes are now dull. Just the other week, one of the maids found her on the floor, suffering from a stroke. They rushed her to the hospital and she is still alive, just barely. Viktor...she is dying right now, as we speak. She...she wanted to see you, even Alana, before she dies," Luke said.

"I'm not going back to that bitch again! I don't care if she is dying right outside my front porch! I know my mother, Luke, unlike you. Once she sees Alana, she would go into a rant, no matter how sick she is, and could hit her. I'm not letting the love of my life get hurt by the woman who dares call herself my mother." I yelled, standing up from my chair.

"Viktor..." I heard a soft voice speak behind me.

Turning my head around, I saw it was Alana, a look of sadness on her face.

"Viktor...she is your mother, whether you like it or not. She is dying and all you can do is yell. If we want to get married, I…We have to see your mother again, and get her blessing. Apologize to her for running away, and ask for her blessing. That's all I want right now. Please, don't do it for Luke, or for me, but for your mother. She is sick and alone right now, and she needs someone to look after her, someone she loves." Alana said softly.

I sighed. "I can't believe I'm doing this..." I turned back to Luke. "Fine, we will go back to Central."

We packed our bags and got the earliest train to Central. I didn't really want to go see my mother, but Alana told me everything would be alright and gave me a kiss on the cheek. How long has it been since I last seen her? Or Central, for that matter? A month? Six months? A year? A year sounded better. As we rode the train towards Central station I began to wonder how much Central and mother had changed. Maybe my mother had changed since we'd last seen her; she could've forgiven me and Alana a long time ago but she could've still hated us both. Why did she call for us?

The military was going to be angry at me for sure. Running from the military for a year just for a girl. I could hear Führer Kingsley yelling at me, telling me I should be set in flames, and hitting me a few times in the head. I would probably get stripped from my rank and title. But it didn't really matter. I had a job back in Raislen and my future bride next to me.

Once the train stopped, Luke escorted us towards the front where a fancy car was waiting for us to go to the hospital. The closer we got to the hospital, the more I wanted to go back and run like crazy person, but Alana kept her hand in mine, stopping me from going. She had a strong grip for a small thing. I gave up when I felt my hand turning numb.

When we got to the hospital and walked inside, a doctor was already waiting for us and escorted us to my mother's room. It was the second floor and across a great window to our side. We walked in, the doctor dismissed himself, and I stopped in mid stride, my breath being caught in my throat, as I gazed on my mother. She looked so fragile, like a little china doll. Her skin was one tone from matching the white sheets and gown she wore, her hair white instead of gray. I walked towards her as if in a trance. Taking her hand in mine, I spoke like I was a child again.

"Mother? Mommy? Are you alright?"

She turn her head towards mine. "Do I look alright to you?"

I almost chuckle out loud—even if she was dying, she still had her bite. I pulled up a chair and sat beside her, not letting go of her hand.

"I'm sorry...I'm so very sorry, mother. For leaving you and father alone to be with Alana. You must understand, I had no choice. I didn't want to marry that God awful Armstrong woman, Alana is my only choice and forever will be," I said.

"I understand, Viktor. I also had a love before your father."

My head perked up at this. "What? What do you mean?"

She looked out into space with a dreamy smile on her face.

"He was my first love. We met while we were children. He was one of my family's servants. He and I played together until my mother saw us and told us to stay away from each other. We still met in secret from time to time until my father took him and his family to a different family to serve. I was eighteen at the time. The last I heard was that he married a woman named Ava Jordan."

I heard an intake of breath behind me. Turning, I saw it was Alana.

"Alana?"

She ignored me and walked towards my mother.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Marshall, did I hear you correctly? Did you say Ava Jordan? That's...my mother's maiden name..." she breathed.

My mother nodded. "Yes, that is right. Ava Jordan married my first love, Thomas Cyrus, and that is how you were born, dear Alana. I was surprised to see you at first but I didn't let that get to me. Viktor," she turned to me, "Please don't make the mistake I did. Marry this girl here and never let go of her, no matter what. I made a mistake of not marrying a Cyrus."

"You mean you'll...?" Was I hearing what I thought I was hearing?

"Give you two a blessing? Yes, I would believe so. I know your father wouldn't want that but he isn't here now is he?" she smiled weakly.

"Thank you, Mrs. Marshall." Alana was on the verge of tears. So was I.

"Mother..." I breathed, "We will not forget this. Thank you."

We stayed there for a week at the most. I spent the time with my mother. I was trying to catch up on what I missed. I told her about Raislen, my job, the house Alana and I shared, and our plans of marriage. It was on the seventh day when Luke came by and told me that the Führer wanted to see me. I felt my palms sweat as I looked towards Alana for help; she only gave me a shrug of the shoulders and a small smile. I got up and followed Luke towards Führer Kingsley's office. We walked in complete silence. Once we were there, Luke stood by the door and let me in. As I walked in, I noticed Führer looking nearly eighty, was I gone for that long? He didn't notice me as he looked over some documents. When I got to his desk, I cleared my throat.

"Ah, Marshall, I was wondering when you would arrive. Please sit." He gestured to a seat next to me.

Taking it, I let Kingsley finish whatever he was reading before I spoke.

"Kingsley, sir, may I ask why you sent for me?" I asked.

"Well, seeing as how you took a year off from the military without warning...I would discharge you and take your pocket watch but...I had some friends visit Raislen to check up on you and from their report, it sounds like you have been growing plants and flowers. I also asked First Lieutenant Darkco to get you so we could talk about your work. As luck would have it, I recently got a request saying that most young soldiers who are working in field work are getting hurt and, well...We need your help. Make some new age medicine that is cheap and will not take too long." Kingsley said

"You mean if I make some medicine for the wounded, you will not fire me? But I only grow the herbs and give them to the doctors."

"Well, just grow the damn stuff anyway! I will just have to hire a doctor who can use them." He thought for a second before speaking to himself, "I could always hire that Richard Master character."

He turned his attention back to me. "I will let you have a week to get ready and find a place to live, because you will soon get to work on those medical herbs."

He held out his hand and shook mine. "Welcome aboard, Lieutenant Colonel Marshall," he smiled.

I was stunned, really! I thought I was going to get my ass handed to me and then the Führer decided to spare my life and give my job back along with a promotion. I promised I would do a good job and he asked me to join him for a drink one of these days. After that, I went to go back to the hospital and tell Alana and my mother. When I got closer to her room, I notice Alana sitting outside looking sad. I ran up to her, and when she noticed me, she launched out of her seat, grabbed me around the middle and buried her head in my chest, sobbing her eyes out. I used my fingers to ease her head up to look at me, tears running down her cheeks.

"What's wrong, love?" I asked.

"Your...mother is gone."

"You mean she jumped out of a window or ran off while I was gone?" I didn't understand what she meant.

"She is gone...gone to the after life. She is dead, Viktor, she is dead," she sobbed.

I hugged her against me and looked at the doorway to my mother's room. I couldn't bear to go in with Alana like this and having no idea what would happen to me as well. One of us had to be strong for the other and this was my turn to be the stronger one.

The funeral was quiet and small. We barely cried as my mother's body was lowered into the ground. We followed her last wishes and buried her next to my father. After the funeral, Alana and I stayed in my parents' old home. We shipped our belongings there from Raislen. Alana set up a place on our roof, thankfully somewhere that was flat, for our garden. It nearly covered the whole roof with little room for a shed and a little water fountain in the middle of the huge garden. I promised Alana that we would be happy here.

Over the next nine years, Alana and I grew old with each other. We got married a month after my mother's funeral. It was a Spring wedding and very beautiful. I had reached at least six ranks in the military and I was the youngest General at 37. There was even talk I would be the next Führer. Alana had already started her old job back up again, with a bigger workplace and more money coming by the hundreds. We were both happy and loved each other very much. I wish that what was coming up next was all a dream, a very bad dream.

I was coming back home when I heard weird sounds from our bedroom. Slowly easing myself inside, I found the room was completely empty. No maids tending to the room and no Alana. I was about to venture to another room when the weird sounds again and it was coming from the bathroom to my side. Opening the door I was surprise to see Alana hunched over the toilet, her hair tangled up in knots, her face greenish, and vomit around her mouth and on her shirt. I fell to my knees beside her and grabbed her against me.

"Are you alright, Alana?" I asked. Of course she wasn't, but I couldn't help but ask.

"I'm fine, Viktor. Just ate something bad," she replied weakly.

I looked towards the toilet before back to my wife.

"That does not look like anything you ate. Come on, I'm taking you to the hospital before you vomit on my shirt." I order, getting Alana up on her feet.

We arrived at the hospital a few minutes later. I waited outside as the doctor, by the name of Doctor Nicholas, took Alana to his examining room. I wrung my hands together as I paced back and forth, hoping Alana was okay and it was nothing serious. It had been hours, nearly midnight, when Alana and the doctor reemerged from his room. He asked Alana to sit next to me as he cleared his throat.

"From the tests results, I can only say one thing for this. I'm happy to say your expecting a child," Dr. Nicholas said.

I looked towards Alana, she looked sad for a brief moment before smiling widely. She took my hand in hers as she looked up at the doctor.

"How far along am I?"

"A month and a two weeks at the most. My assistant can give you some papers to read. Please, get plenty of rest, eat a lot of food, and make sure you get ready for morning sickness," he joked.

"Don't worry, I will," she smiled.

If it wasn't for the fact that Dr. Nicholas was near by, I would kiss Alana hard on the lips. I felt blessed, really, for The Powers That Be to bless me and Alana with a child. I tried to imagine what she or he would look like, which one of us would show more in our child, and how they would grow up to be. After we got back to our house, I showed Alana how much I was pleased—and the next morning I got complaints from our workers and some of the neighbors.

It was about a few months later, seven months to be exact, when it happened. I was asleep in my room, next to Alana, when I heard sounds of pain coming from by my side. Opening my eyes, I saw that Alana was in the fetal position, her hand rubbing her stomach.

"Viktor...it hurts, it hurts so much," she mewed.

Throwing over the covers, I cursed loudly as I saw blood circling Alana's stomach and going down the legs. I yelled for a maid to come and get Alana to the hospital. The small ambulance truck finally reached us and took us to the hospital. The doctors rushed Alana to the operating room. I went back to pacing and wringing my hands that I'd experienced seven months prior. I had a cold feeling I my gut; I wished that I could be with Alana as the doctors worked on her, to hold her hand. I prayed to all the Gods I could think of, wanting Alana to be all right.

It was nearly the next morning when Dr. Nicholas came to see me. He face was ashen and his eyes dull. He took me into his office and sat me down as he sat in his own chair.

"Is Alana all right?" I nearly yelled.

He sighed. "Yes, she is and is recovering. It was a long operation but she is going to be all right."

Why was he still sad when Alana was all right and going to make it? What...It suddenly clicked in my mind. The baby, my unborn child. I buried my head in my hands as I sobbed. He still continue to speak, already realizing what I knew.

"The child however, didn't make it. Alana had a miscarriage, I'm afraid. Usually a miscarriage would happen in the first few months, not two weeks before the due date. We tried our best but still, we couldn't save her."

Her! My and Alana's child was a girl. I sobbed even harder, thinking of what Alana was going through. She was the one carrying our child and suffering the pain of losing her.

"I also have some more bad news..." I lifted my head.

"After the rough miscarriage, I'm afraid to inform you that your wife won't ever be able to have a child again."

I wiped my tears with some tissues on the doctor's desk. When everything was cleaned up, I looked at Nicholas.

"May I...see my wife?" I asked.

He nodded and led me to my wife's hospital room. He excused himself and left me alone with Alana. She was barely awake, almost drifting out of a conscious state. I would let her sleep and talk to her when she was able to keep her eyes open. I also let myself sleep; we were both tired. I feel asleep in the chair next to her bed. There was going to be a long talk later.

I woke up with the soft sound of someone calling my name. Opening my eyes, I looked up to see Alana starring back at me. She looked so fragile at the moment, like a puff of wind could break. I have seen this sight before but with the first I saw my mother nearly a decade ago. Picking myself up from my chair, I walked over to my beloved and took her hand into mine.

"Good morning." I tried to put on a smile.

"Viktor...What happened? Is the baby all right?" she asked softly.

I couldn't hold it any more and I cried like a child who got his toy taken away. In the mist of my babbling I told Alana what had happen. The miscarriage, how they couldn't her, that my beloved wife couldn't have another child, everything I got from the doctor, I told Alana. She was silent and hardly moved during it. Finally I had cried all I could, and Alana lifted my head, using only her finger tips. She kissed me gently on the lips.

"We will work this out, Viktor. Every thing has a silver lining," she said.

I slowly nodded and held onto her for what seem like hours.

After Alana got out of the hospital, we set up a little funeral for our unborn child, just like we would have done if she were really alive and had died for real. We placed a name on the tombstone, a name Alana wanted to give to our child if it was a girl. Lillian Anne Marshall. If Alana couldn't have a child again, we had another plan in mind. We would adopt a child and raise them as our own. Too bad that never happened.

I thought my Alana was going to get better as the time went by. I was stupid for not seeing it sooner. I would come home late, having to resort to eating dinner at the Mess Hall and I just fell asleep later. A few months after our ordeal one of the maids pulled me aside and told me Alana was hardly eating anything during her meals, strange sounds came from the room, and she hardly went out of our room. Of course, being a busy man, I had barely noticed. I decided to come home early the next tonight and talk to Alana.

Using the back entrance, I made my way up the flight of stairs, my feet barely making a sound. I made sure my shadow could not be seen under the crack of the door. I got several stares from my servants. I had my back against the wall near the door, turning my head slightly I pushed my ear up to the wooden object. My eyes went wide when I heard two voices, one was Alana and the other was male...it sounded familiar but I couldn't place from where. Turning the handle I jumped in the room, scaring the occupants. I found Alana sitting up in bed, fully clothed and Doctor Nicholas sitting on a chair beside her.

"What the Devil is going on here! Why, Dr. Nicholas, are you in my wife's room!" I yelled.

He rose from his chair, his hands up in surrender. "Please, Mr. Marshall, I mean no harm. I only came here by Mrs. Marshall's wishes."

I turn to Alana sharply. "Alana...What is going on here, then?"

"I'm sorry, Viktor...I'm so sorry...I couldn't bear to tell you..." she pleaded with teary eyes.

Before I could ask what she meant by that, Alana started to cough uncontrollably. Even though she had her hands covering her mouth, something spilled away from her grasp. Blood. Red blood stained the bed sheets Alana now sat on. Dr. Nicholas was the closest and helped Alana, giving her a glass of water and a towel to wipe the blood from her mouth.

"Sorry..." was the only word she spoke before fainting in the doctor's arms.

Here I was again, the hospital, waiting for a member of my family to come out. Once for my mother, not including the whole week, and now twice for Alana. I couldn't stand the wait anymore! When I saw Doctor Nicholas come out, I quickly ran to him. I pulled him by the collar of his shirt and shoved my face into his.

"What. Is. Wrong. With. Alana?" I breathed.

He looked frightened at first before pulling me gently off of him.

"I'm afraid, Mr. Marshall, that your wife is not going to make it. For the past several months or maybe years, she was falling into a terrible sickness. We think that caused her miscarriage. A virus, most commonly found in small children. If treated quickly, a person could be saved. As it would seem, Alana's parents never noticed it, nor did she know about it until now. It attacks the lungs and the kidney. If we could've seen it sooner, we would've treated her. Unfortunately for her, we have just found it now. She does not have much time to live."

"How...long?"

"By this time tomorrow."

"May I see her?"

He once again took me to my wife's room. I sat down beside her on the bed and took her in my arms.

"Why...Why did this had to be?" I spoke into her hair.

"I don't know, Viktor."

"Did you know about this?" I asked

She nodded. "Yes, I've known for several months. I promised myself I wouldn't tell you because I feared you would get angry and depressed. I didn't want to see you cry, love."

I pulled her tightly towards me. "I would never get angry at you. If we had known this sooner, you would not have to die like this."

She touched my arm slightly, "I'm sorry, Viktor. For all the trouble I have caused. Viktor...can you do me a favor?"

"What?"

"Can you lay down beside me, one last time?"

I nodded and took her in my arms and laid down on the hospital bed.

When I woke, I didn't hear the gentle breathing of my wife beside me. Opening my eyes, I saw her lips were blue, her face pale, and her not moving. I knew she was dead now. She died in her sleep. I hope it was a gentle death, I didn't want her to suffer any more pain. I kissed her on the lips before speaking one word to her.

"Sorry."

It just so happens Kingsley had retire a day after that. They offered me the job of Führer but I declined. I didn't want to be in the military anymore, although I still kept my pocket watch with me at all times. I took Alana's body and my personal belongings and went to Raislen again. I had her buried next to her parents and our small child. I moved back into our old house and got back to my old job. I hardly slept more than an hour a day, only ate one meal in the evening and spent most of my time picking herbs for the local doctor, Mark Edwardson. I spent two years doing that.

I heard of a rare herb that only grew at night and was deep in the forest. It was used in strong medicines for the badly wounded. Taking only my basket for the pickings and a small lantern. I had just gotten a basket full of that special herb when I heard a loud scream of a woman. Dropping my basket I ran towards the source of the sound. I saw a figure of a woman on the ground and three large animals on her back. She seem to be in pain. I quickly made a transmutation circle and watched as the blue sparks traveling the ground and finally hitting one off the woman's back. The other two ran away as I ran up to the woman, they fear for their lives as it would seem. Her back was scarred and bloody. Turning her over, I saw her pregnant belly with a large cut across it. I lifted her in my arms. I had to get her to the doctor! I stopped when she spoke, asking my name, which I told her only to follow by telling her that she needed to see a doctor.

I ran with all my might towards the closet house I could find. The Old Widow Maggy Rowe. After several bangs, the old lady let me in and escorted me to the spare bedroom. I told Maggy to fetch Mark, fearing the strange woman might die. Pulling the cloak that she wore, I gasped inwardly. If it wasn't for the fact that this woman had different hair color, I could've sworn I saw Alana again. I nearly fell on my ass, only the chair behind me catching my fall. I shook my head, Alana was dead and this woman was alive and looked nothing like her. I hardly noticed her looking at me until she spoke up again.

"Are you a State Alchemist, Mr. Marshall?" she asked.

"Yes," I said, surprised she knew that, "but I retired a few years ago." I pulled out my old pocket watch.

"Good, then I know you can protect my child after I'm gone," she whispered, her eyes closing.

"No!" I ran to her side and shook her form, "Don't you dare die on me now!" I yelled.

I turned my head when Mark returned with a doctor's bag at his side.

"Mark, you have to hurry, the woman is dying!" I yelled.

"Alright," he nodded and began to take out his supplies.

"She is about eight months pregnant and it seemed her water already broke a few hours ago. It'll to be difficult to operate," he said a few minutes after checking over her.

"Maggy, get me some towels and hot water," Mark ordered.

I watched Mark operate on the poor woman. I prayed to any Gods to save this child and this woman—they owed me big time! Mark asked me how she came to be there and I told him, rather snappishly, ordering him back to work. It was tough to get the baby out with the woman not being awake during the ordeal. After several tries, a small infant popped out. There was no cries and we almost thought the infant was dead until suddenly, by some miracle, we heard the cries of the young child. I went to tell the mother that the child was safe and alive only to find her cold as a rock. I sighed and pulled the blanket over her head.

"But she died and saved her child from having the same fate," Mark said.

I only nodded. Maggy then handed me the child and asked me what I should name the child. It was a girl so I could only think of one thing.

"Lillian. Lillian Anne Marshall."

Yes, my dear Lily, it was you that was born that day. I'm sorry I had to tell you that. The black book you have (I hope it's still with the letter) was your mother's. I found it on her person after your birth. I believe it is her journal or something special to her because it's greatly locked shut, that all the locksmiths in the world couldn't open. I pray you open these secrets and learn what I have not.

Now that you have learned of my life before you, I hope you can forgive me if I have caused you pain. I know I'm in a happy place and standing next to my beloved wife, Alana. My life began with a person with the name of Lillian and it shall end with one.

With My Love,

Viktor Marshall.

----

Autho's Notes: I'm sorry for posting this late but I'm using the computer someone else's house. Pain in the butt! I hate freaking flying! But, anyway, the next chapter is probably going to take awhile and then...THE BEST CHAPTER EVER WILL COME!


	21. Returning to Central Once Again

Disclaimer:I own nothing of Fullmetal Alchemist and what not.

Thanks for Hurley's Belial for being my beta!

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The month Roy had given Lily to live—I mean to _stay_—in Raislen was coming to a close. That meant the search for anything on the little red stone we all know about had to stop and the two Elric brothers had to leave. In less then two days Lily, Mary, Leo, and even Tobias were heading back to Central. Lily had to pull some strings to get the train to let Tobias on. They could take dogs and cats easily but it was hard when dealing with a live fox, one that had a huge bite if you got him angry. Now it was time to say good-bye to the Elrics.

"I'm sad that you have to go, Edward, and that we couldn't find anything on the stone," Lily said.

The brothers were standing outside the door and Lily and her dark hair friend, Mary next to her.

Mary bent down to Ed's height. "You know, the offer to join the Roy Mustang Fan Club is still up, Eddy."

"For the last time...NO!" Ed yelled.

_'One thing I don't have...The ability to say no to Mary...'_ Lily's mind sighed.

"Maybe we can start your own club, Edward. You are kind of cute, not Roy cute (Of course he is not cute, just damn sexy!), but cute enough for our younger members," Mary continued.

"Mary...Don't be a pedophile..." Lily warned.

Mary stuck out her tongue at the blond woman. Lily turned back to the boys.

"I hope you have more luck somewhere else on the stone. Hell, we'll probably see each other in Central," she said.

Reaching behind her, she pulled out a basket of fruit, some muffins, sandwiches, and a bottle of milk and handed it to the boys.

"A good-bye gift as well as a thank-you gift. Your visit gave me something to do."

"Thank you, Lily," Al said.

"Good luck, boys. Until next time."

She watched them turn and walk down the hill towards the village and closed the door when they were out of sight. She leaned on the door and sighed.

"Well, that was...entertaining..." Turning her head, she saw Mary looking through a dictionary. "What are you doing?"

"Looking up the meaning of 'pedophile'."

Lily smiled inwardly. "Yeah, good luck on that. I'm gonna freshen up and then go to town later on, all right?"

Mary waved her off as she continued to look in the giant book. Lily walked in her room first, going to gather new clothes for the day. Once again, she had slept in her clothes last night; she was too busy working over that little black book. She used many methods of trying to get it open, alchemical and regular. But not one of them could make the book budge. It seem to taunt her every time she looked at it, urging her to open it up and see what was written in it. It was like an obsession—an unhealthy one if she didn't watch out. The cover of it was most strange, with symbols all over it. She knew she had seen it before, but she forgot where. Grabbing a clean pair of jeans and a shirt, Lily walked into the bathroom for a shower. She just hoped the hot water could wash away the thoughts of the book before she went crazy over it.

---

Just in the center of Raislen, at the local ice cream shoppe, two strange figures sat across each other just by the window. One was talking in between bites of orange sherbet from a cup.

"I don't get it, Al. How come that Lily character can do alchemy without circles. I know I can, and so can Teacher, but her...There's something fishy about her."

"But Lily is a good person. Do you think she tried..." Al went into a low whisper. "...human transmutation?"

"I don't know." Ed took a big spoonful of the sweet treat. "She seems pretty healthy to me and she looks intact...She could've done it but it's hard to tell. One's thing for certain: I'm going to find out!" Ed exclaimed, taking a huge bite of sherbet and nearly falling out of his seat but the intensity of the huge brain freeze.

---

Lily shifted the heavy bag in her arms as she walked the streets of Raislen, heading back home. Accompany her was Tobias, walking by her feet, looking a few times at the bag in her arms. The bag was extremely heavy and hard to hold onto.

She sighed. "You're lucky, Tobias, to find someone like me. It's not like everyone would buy you five pounds of meat just for your food. We are both lucky that Mary's club is actually making enough money to help me feed you. Still surprising that she can make that much money since we have been in Central. It's probably because Roy went along with it. She's even making more money then me...And I have to go into work every day while she sits on her ass on the couch, enjoying what she does..."

Lily let out a small scream as she was pulled into a dark alley way and thrown onto the brick wall in there, causing her eyes to get out of focus before she shook her head to get it back together. When she did, she was surprised and then outraged at who she saw in front of her.

"Ed? You've got ten seconds to explain yourself as why you decided to get me in an old alley way. You're too young for that kind of thing..."

"Tell me...Tell me how you can perform alchemy without circles," he nearly growled out.

"I don't know why, it just happened, alright? I know I'm not the only one in the world; one of them is in front of me. Maybe it's a big step in the evolutionary chain or whatever. Are you happy? Can you let me go now?" she asked.

"No. Now, tell me truthfully: did you perform human transmutation?"

"What?"

"Who was it? An old friend? A lover? Viktor? What did you give up? An internal organ? A limb? Maybe a foot?" Ed rolled out the questions, not bothering giving her time to answer.

Lily started to yell. "I have no idea what you are talking about! I wouldn't dare use that forbidden practice! Now, let go of me!"

Once she placed her hands of the young Alchemist, several images flashed through her mind, too quick to remember every detail. Once the images vanished, she was back in the present. A foot from her was Ed, who seem to be spaced out for a split second before returning back to normal.

"I...I have to go..." she breathed.

Running out of the alley way, she saw Al just walking to the scene of the crime almost, picking up the packets of meats that laid on the ground. She took the bag of food from his arms. "Come on, Tobias!" she yelled to the young fox before turning and running the whole way to her home.

A moment later, Ed came out of the dark alley way, holding his head.

"Ed...? What happen to Miss Marshall?" Al asked.

"N-nothing. Let's get back to the hotel...I'm feeling...tired all of a sudden."

---

The next day, Lily groaned as she almost fell out of bed. All last night, she kept tossing and turning in her sleep. Her encounter with Ed was a strange one. Those images (they came again in her sleep) were very weird. It had a younger version of Ed, and an even younger boy she couldn't place. It was like living a different life. The weirdest one yet, was even too blurry to understand. All she remembered was standing in front of a large gray object, and then nothing.

She yawned as she stepped out her bedroom and into the living room. She saw Lucius and Mary on the couch, talking in hushed voices while looking over some papers in front of them on the coffee table.

"G'morning," she managed to get out.

"Oh, good morning, Lily. You look beat. Did you sleep well?" asked the redheaded man, Lucius.

"No...Didn't have a good sleep at all. "What are you guys doing?" she asked.

"Lucius and I are going over through some papers to make him the official President of the Roy Mustang Club in Raislen. I can't be in two places at once," Mary said.

"Uh huh." Lily was barely listening to her.

Lily plopped down on the couch what she saw thought was the couch. Instead she was now sitting in Lucius lap, wriggling around to get comfy. Mary smiled inwardly at she saw the look of Lucius face and pulled Lily by the arm, she was now sitting on the couch in between them.

"Now, Lily, if you keep doing that, I don't think Lucius could handle it. I think he likes guys now...and we shouldn't stop his way of life." Mary said as Lily laid her head on her friend's shoulder.

"Whatever." Lily yawned, trying to wake up, and turn towards Lucius. "I didn't know you liked Roy..."

"Actually, Leo got me into him," Lucius blushed. "After listening to him talk about Roy, I started to like him as well."

"I didn't know you knew Leo. Could that mean..."

Before Lily could finish her sentence, Mary jumped off from the couch, making Lily fall on the floor with a loud thud.

"You and Leo are a couple! I knew it! I was right!" she yelled.

"No, no, we are not a couple, Mary. Just friends with some..." he coughed the last part out.

"Excuse me?"

He leaned up and whispered it in her ear, causing a deep blush to appear on her pale skin.

"Oh, my...At least I was half right..." she breathed.

Turning back to the couch, she saw Lily picking herself up and rubbing her head where it hit the edge of the arm rest.

"Oh, sorry Lily, forgot you were there."

Lily was fully awake now and glared her friend, "Get ready to run, Miss Lucas...You're so dead!" she growled out.

Mary screamed as Lily got up from the couch and chased her around the house. Back in the living room, Lucius picked up a cup of coffee and sipped on it as he heard Lily apparently conquering Mary, judging by the loud thud from upstairs.

"Ow! Uncle! Uncle! For the love of Roy, get off of me!" Mary yelled.

"This means double chore duty! You're going to feed Tobias now!"  
----

Finally, it was the last day of the month. It was time for everyone to leave and head back to Central. The four friends—two men and two women—stood on the platform, their bags already packed on the train, as well as Tobias. The two women and one of the men were saying good bye to the other man, the red head.

"It was nice to see you again, Lucius," Lily smiled.

"Likewise. I'll ask again: are you still cool about me not returning your feelings? I just want to rest easy tonight."

She giggled. "Yeah, no hard feelings. You're still a good friend and besides, I have a boyfriend back in Central that I really need to get to." She quickly hugged Lucius.

"Be safe thy young leader of the Roy army." Mary sounded serious as they both saluted each other.

Lily sighed and grabbed Mary's arm. "Come on, Mary, let's find our seats. Leo, we'll see you on board, right?"

Leo nodded. "Yeah, just have to say something to Lucius."

Lily smiled and took her female friend on the train and found a window seat. Both girls turned their heads, watching the scene with Leo and Lucius. They spoke briefly before Leo handed the redhead a slip of paper and kissed Lucius quickly the cheek, making his cheeks match his hair. They both giggled and stopped when Leo looked at them over his shoulder before boarding the train. Just as he sat down in his seat, Mary and Lily giggled softly together. He looked at them like they were freaks.

"What?"

"Nothing," Lily calmed down. "Let's go home."

---

Author's Notes: I once again back from my trip but with a bad cold. Thankfully, I got this chapter done without long breaks in between. I hope you like this chapter and I also hope you will love the next one.


	22. Aspirin? Where is the aspirin?

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Full Metal Alchemist, jsut Lily, Leo, Mary, and many other characters.

Many thanks to my beta Hurley's Belial! Three Cheers for her!

----

The trio arrived in Central on Saturday and used the rest of the weekend to get settled and comfortable back home. It was hard to get Tobias used to the big city, so unlike Raislen which was mostly surrounded by trees. Lily had to make a little doggy—or in this case, fox—door on the front door and a little patch of fresh grass just next to the steps. It wasn't much of a surprise to see tons of letters in their mailbox, but it was a surprise to see two giant bags of letters, all about the Roy Fan club (Sheska had to keep them in her house to avoid the weather.)

"Mary, what are those letters about?" asked Lily.

Mary looked up from the letter she was currently reading as she sat in the middle of a giant pile of envelopes.

"Oh, these? These are nothing, sweetie. Just before we went to Raislen, I asked the club to do a little contest for the club. Send us essays on why they love Roy so much, fan art, fan stories (Oh, you should read one of them. One of them has Roy as a pirate.), new project ideas that we can put on the market—anything they can think of. If someone wins, they get a date with Roy Mustang himself! Since I'm the president, and I already went on a date with him, I can't pick myself," she replied.

"It looks like everyone in Central sent one in." Lily picked up a random letter.

"Not everyone, just three fourths. I even have one from Rick's sister! You wanna see?"

"No! I can't believe you got her in your club! Just when I thought I could save Lexi from your madness! How terrible of me, a role model of the young Master girl, and sister to my beloved lover!" Lily exclaimed dramatically.

"Now who's acting out of character?"

"Shut up, I'm tired."

Now, the Day. One I think we and Lily will never forget. After wrestling with her uniform, Lily was ready to go back to work. Mary was finished looking through the pile of letters, having found a winner last night. The girl screamed and danced around, saying she had found the perfect one. If she was a bit louder, she could've woken the whole block. Lily walked out of the front door (after patting Tobias on the head 'good-bye') and went to work. Lily brought a change of clothes along, wanting to see Rick as soon as possible.

Thankfully, she remembered where the office was, it would be bad if they found out they had move somewhere else. Taking a deep breath, as she stood in front of the door, she walked in. It was just the same as when she'd left it, everyone working at their desks. Even Roy was at his desk, unlike those times he would walk in the door behind her. Everyone was too busy working to notice her or the sound of the door opening and closing. She coughed a moment later, gaining the attention of everyone in the room.

"Hi." She waved, smiling.

In a flash, Havoc, Breda, and even Fuery were up and surrounding her. The only people with dignity were Falman, Riza, and Roy who remained sitting in their places, but were still looking.

"How was your trip? Did you see anything good?" Fuery asked.

"Have any new adventures?" Breda chimed in.

"Did you meet any good looking girls for me?" demanded Havoc.

A sound of chair sliding across the floor stopped the men's insane questioning. Looking behind them, they saw Roy standing from his desk.

"Please, gentlemen, leave the poor girl alone. I think Marshall is still tired from her long journey from her beloved hometown to Central. If you could, stop questioning her and let her get to work before I lose my temper and make you scrub every inch of Central with toothbrushes. Back to your desks," he ordered.

As the trio went back to their desks, Lily smiled weakly. She couldn't believe that Roy was standing up for her, or better yet, saving her from the three men.

"Marshall! To your desk before I make you do what I promised the boys," he barked from his desk.

"Yes, sir," she said quickly and nearly ran to her desk.

---------

It was now the end of lunch and everyone was getting back to their proper offices, doing more boring paperwork. Lily was walking through the crowd of people in the hallway (who knew there were this many people?) when she spotted a familiar black-haired head. She hurried to make sure she didn't lose her target. Finally, after some bumps and curses, she placed her hand on the shoulder of her said target. A moment later, nearly everyone was gone and soon Lily and the other were left. She had her hand on Roy Mustang's shoulder, quickly pulling her hand away after she was sure he wasn't going anywhere.

"What is it, Marshall?" he asked, facing her.

"I...I want to thank you for earlier, back in the office. I thought I was going to be stormed with insane questions," she said.

"I didn't save you, per se. Just wanted them to stop talking before a big headache came," Roy replied.

"Well, anyway...thanks," she said quickly, almost in a mumble.

For a few pregnant moments, they stood there in silence before Lily spoke without thinking.

"I heard that you're going on a date tonight with the winner of the contest Mary pulled," she said.

"Well, yes, I will. Mary even got us reservations at a restaurant. I heard that girl I'm suppose to go out with made a musical of some kind," he said, not caring. It sounded along the lines of 'as long as I get a free dinner, I don't care what she did.'

"Maybe you'll finally settle down with this girl and get married. I mean, you go on dates every day, soon you will have to get married to carry on your annoying legacy," she blurted out.

_'Stupid girl!', _she berated herself_. 'That was supposed to stay inside, not be shouted out!'_

"What was that, Marshall?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I said I think you should marry that annoying groupie of yours and get it done with!"

'What the hell is wrong with me!'

"Well, Lillian, that just earn you double paperwork for the whole week! Now, get inside the office right now before I loose my temper!" he barked

She walked towards the office, and was about to go inside when her mouth worked on her own.

"Bastard."

"That's it! Triple paperwork!"

_'I hate my life...' _

----

After a long day at work—Roy really gave her tons of work to do for her remark—Lily almost went back home before she remembered Rick. Taking a quick stop in the bathroom, she changed from the tight and itchy uniform into more comfortable clothing. Thankfully, Rick's house wasn't far from the main offices, only a mile or something close to it. By the time she got there, it was almost sunset and she was starving. Would it be rude of her to ask for some food? She finally reached the front door (the gardeners let her in at the front gate) and rang the door bell. A few moments later, a maid opened the door, letting her into the huge building, looking surprised to see her.

"Miss Marshall, how can I help you this evening?" she asked.

"Hello, I'm here to see Rick. Is he around?"

"I'm sorry, Madame, but Master Richard is-"

"No need, Penny, I can take her to Rick."

Lexi was coming down the steps. Once she landed, she ran towards Lily and greeted her in a fierce hug that nearly knocked the blond over.

"Good to see you, Lily!" the red head exclaimed, letting go of her.

Turning to the maid, "You can leave, Penny. I think Mother wanted someone to help her into her dress."

The maid bowed and turned and left the main hall. Lexi smiled at Lily and took her hand and started to take her towards the steps.

"So, Lily, how was your trip?" she asked, as they walked up the steps.

"It was alright. Met with old faces and new ones. I did get a pet there."

"Really? A dog? A cat? A turtle?"

Lily laughed. "A fox. His name is Tobias."

"Wow! Can I see him?"

"Sure, once I talked to Rick. I haven't seen him in forever. I got so much to tell him about my trip," she said with a smile.

Lily was staring far in the distance, she couldn't see the frown on the younger girl's face.

"I heard you got into the Roy Mustang Fan Club," she said.

"Yeah...After my friends started to talk about him and bugging me to join, I caved in. There is going to be a meeting today, at your house. Maybe I can see Tobias," Lexi said.

"Yeah, just be careful. He tends to bite strangers. Mary has some scars from the first week I had him, but when you get to know him, he is a real sweetie." Lily patted Lexi on the shoulder.

Once Lily was finished with her statement, they had arrived in front of Rick's bedroom door. Lexi turned and gave Lily a quick hug.

"Good luck. I'm sorry in advance," she whispered.

Before Lily could ask what she meant by that, Lexi had disappeared. Lily shrugged and opened the door and walked in, already seeing Rick at his writing desk, hunched over something. Setting down her bag, she walked up behind him, hugging him and kissing him on the cheek.

"Hello, love. How are you doing?"

Rick looked up from his desk, rubbing his eyes, not believing what he was seeing.

"Lily? When did you get here?" he asked, sitting up straight in his chair.

"Just a few minutes ago, talked to your sister for a bit. She seemed a bit down, is something up?" he asked, taking a seat near by.

"N-no, not really. I-it's probably her time of the month or something," Rick said. "So, how was your trip?" he asked, turning in his seat face her.

"Well, I had to organize some of Viktor's papers. I found a fox, and I'm keeping him as a pet. He is really well-behaved for a fox in the big city." She leaned back in her seat. "Nothing really important, although I met the Fullmetal Alchemist and had to help him with something. I couldn't believe how short he was!" she laughed. "So, what are you working on, Rick?" She pointed to the paper on his desk.

"Oh, nothing. Just something Father gave me to read over for my job," he said.

"You got a job! What is it!" Lily was sitting straight in her chair now, on the edge.

He smiled weakly, "I'm going to follow my father and become a doctor. Not for the military; don't want to become a dog of the military. No offense."

"None taken. I just do what my heart tells me, even if it is joining the military. As I recall, you wanted to be a State Alchemist too at one time. It's good to hear you're going to become a doctor, Rick. I have a thing for guys in uniforms, especially white ones," she joked. Getting up, she hugged him tightly. "I hope you do a good job. You will become a great doctor."

"Just one problem..." he said softly.

She reached back, staring down at him, wondering what he meant by that.

"What is it?"

"I have to go to a school in East City for a couple of years to train and become a doctor..."

Lily shrugged her shoulders. "So? I can still write to you, call you every day or two. There is always the possibility of me going to East City on weekends, holidays, and hell, if possible, I may even get transferred there. We can get an apartment, something decent, and..."

"That's just problem, Lily," he sighed, not wanting to do this. "I can't see you anymore."

Lily's eyes nearly popped out of her head. She took a step back, trying to figure out what he meant. "What? What did you say?"

"We can't be girlfriend and boyfriend anymore, not now or ever. We are through," he said again.

"B-but why? Why do you want to break something...something this perfect? I thought I found the perfect boyfriend and now this happens? You're the only guy I ever saw a future with!" she exclaimed, on the verge of tears.

He stood up, slamming his hands on the table. "Do you think I wanted to do this, Lily! I was forced! It wasn't my decision in the first place! It is my damn mother's fault! Her, and her stupid group of old house wives, deciding the fates of their children without a thought. I'm engaged to be married to that Armstrong girl!" he yelled, scaring Lily.

"But, your parents, I thought they knew about us…that they would give us a blessing with our relationship," she said, barely a whisper.

"For God's sake, Lily! Be smart, they didn't really to give us their blessing from the start. You meet them once, at the dinner party. The only reason they acted nice was because they didn't want their friends to think less of them. It would be stupid to yell and hate the savior if their younger child. The engagement has already been done," he sighed, slightly calming down. "When I was fifteen, my parents took me aside and told me of my fate. I thought... I thought if I had a real girlfriend, and showed them true love, they would cancel the wedding. I guess I was wrong."

Lily had tears running down her face, her stomach tightening as she listen to Rick's story. Clenching her fists, she stormed up to him, making him face her, and slapped him across the face, almost knocking him on the ground by the sheer force of it. He stumbled a few steps away, holding his redden cheek.

"You...You bastard! How dare you try to do this to me! You used me like a used tissue. You just wanted a girlfriend and you just took the perfect opportunity when I rescued your sister, thinking it own more brownie points with your folks. I thought you loved me!" she yelled through a storm of tears.

"I did love you..."

"Shut up! Just shut up! All you said about loving me have been lies hasn't it? Hasn't it!" Lily was up in his face.

"I..."Rick cleared his throat, not knowing what to say. "I...did like you, as a friend." Lily laughed. "But, as time grew on, I thought...I knew I loved you. I had planned to dump you once my parents got rid of the stupid engagement, but I didn't plan to fall in love with you. I did, though, and never wanted this love to end, even without my parents' knowledge or blessing. Please." He took her shaking hands in his. "Lily, stay with me. I need you."

She yanked her hands away from his grip. "Don't give me that bullshit, Richard. I loved you. I thought I found the perfect guy. I thought I wouldn't get my heart broken again. I let you in, Rick, I let you into my heart and now you give this crap about loving me behind your future wife? I'm sorry, Rick, I... I can't do that to someone. I hope you have a good marriage."

Lily wiped her eyes, walking towards the door, quickly grabbing her bag, she was about to open the door when Rick placed a hand of her shoulder, stopping her.

"Lily, please..."he begged.

She didn't bother to turn around. "Good-bye, Richard. Don't ever come near me or my friends again. I just wish I'd seen it sooner..." she whispered.

Turning the handle she was out of room and out of sight. Rick cursed loudly, kicking over a chair and almost a bookcase before collapsing into the chair Lily had just sat in, burying his head in his hands. He barely looked up when someone entered his bedroom and walked in front of him. His first thought was that it was Lily coming back again to apologize or hit him again; he deserved that. Rick's daydreaming of Lily disappeared when he heard his sister's voice.

"I do hope your happy, Rick. You just broke the perfect girl's heart. You could've been a man and run away with her, but you didn't. Now, I'm ashamed to be called your sister," Lexi said, her arms crossed.

"Go away Alexandra...You're not making it any easier..." he said softly.

"Whatever. I'll let you rot in your misery...I have a meeting to catch."

He didn't budge when he heard the door slam a moment later. He didn't try to stop the tears from coming down his face. Rick just let them.

----

Lily had her right arm in front of her, resting her head on it. In her left hand, she held a bottle of beer or whiskey, she'd forgotten which an hour ago. She was sitting in a small local bar. It was better than last time; it didn't play loud music. She couldn't bear to go home after what had happened with Rick and her. There were too many people at her house, busy with their meeting, and she didn't want to cry as she told her story in front of strangers. She lifted her head briefly taking a sip of alcohol and then put her head back in place. Lily didn't feel weak, empty, emotionless, heartbroken, or depressed. There wasn't a word for how she felt right now.

"Rick...Adrian...Lucius...Maybe I should date girls...or not date anymore. I wonder if I can be a nun," she mumbled to herself.

"Maybe you had enough, miss," the bartender pleaded with her.

"Shut up, and give me another bottle of whatever the hell I'm drinking!" She slammed the empty bottle on the counter.

The bartender sighed, shaking his head as he handed her a fresh bottle. Lily stared at her reflection in the brown glass before her—she looked terrible! Red eyes, pale face, and it seem her head was misshaped. Oh, wait, that was the bottle.

"You know that stuff will kill you if you drink it from the bottle like that."

She didn't bother to turn her head when she heard the voice, already knowing who it belonged to, as he sat down beside her. Her eyes followed the hand that reached in front of her, grabbing her only lifesaver and reading the label out loud.

"Wicked Blend, a blend of rare spices to give you that real kick during parties and celebrations...Why would a girl like yourself be drinking this stuff in a place like this?"

Turning her head, facing the newcomer, she spoke in annoyance. "Take a guess, Roy..."

Roy nearly fell off his seat at seeing Lily like this. Shaking his head, rubbing his eyes, and even pinching himself, he knew he wasn't dreaming at all. This was really Lily!

"L-Lily? Is that you?" he asked, making sure.

"In the flesh, Captain Underpants," she said, taking the bottle of whiskey back and taking a huge gulp of it.

"Good Lord, what happen to you?" he asked. "You...You look...awful!"

"I _feel_ awful, thank you very much. As for why I become this awful, it was my damn boyfriend, or should I say ex-boyfriend, Rick Idiot Master! He freaking used me for the love of God! Getting engaged before I even met him, using me like...like something used, and even saying we could have an affair behind his wife's back! I know he didn't say that, really, but I can still read between the lines!" she exclaimed.

"That sucks. And here I thought my story was bad..." Roy sighed, leaning against the counter.

Lily sat up when she heard this. "A story? You have a story? Well, tell me!"

"No, you wouldn't like it."

"Ha! I just want something to do while I'm getting pissed drunk! I probably won't remember in the morning. Just tell Aunt Lily what is troubling you, Little Roy," she said.

"First of all, I'm not "little" if you're saying what I think you're saying."

"I'm not!" She took another sip of her drink while mumbling "But, maybe I am."

He cast her one glare before sharing his story, "You know I had a date with the winner of the contest, right?" She nodded. "You know she made a musical, and I'm all for musicals, it was just what she wanted me to do in the musical. She wanted me to dress like a woman, look like a woman, an even kiss a guy! Worst part of it, she wanted me to have a love scene with him. So, the next time she went to the bathroom I ran out of there," he finished.

Lily smiled and laughed.

"You think this is funny?" he barked.

"No! …wait, yes. Yes it is. I'm sorry, I just need something like that! I got an idea..."

Reaching over the counter, she took two glasses, filling them to the top with her whiskey, and handing one to Roy and keeping one for herself. She raised her own glass into the air.

"We are both lonely and well...We should be lonely together! Cheers to being lonely!"

Roy shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever floats your boat."

Hitting their glasses together and knocking back the shots, they both ordered another drink.

---

Lily awoke to a strong light coming from outside the window. Her eyes barely open, not fully awake, she reached for the bottle of aspirin on her bedside table. She felt like a train had run her over a hundred times, and her throat was drier than sand. When she felt her hand colliding with just wood, she opened one of her eyes. Instead of seeing her normal bedside table, her colorful wallpaper, or anything she recognized, she saw something different. A plain, gray wall, a tall bedside table, and clothes laying around. Where was she? How did she get here? How many drinks had she had? Before anything could be answered, her stomach tightened when she felt someone shift behind her. That got her fully awake. Looking over her shoulder, she had to cover her mouth before she screamed bloody murder at who she saw. There, in the Queen size bed they shared at the moment, was the one and, thankfully, the only Roy Mustang!

_'Okay, remain calm, Lily. There has to be a good reason why Roy is in bed with you. Take a deep breath, but not deep enough to wake him up, and think this through. Remember yesterday. You know that Rick dumped you and you went to a bar to get drunk...and then what? Oh, yes, Roy came after he had a bad date, you guys had a few drinks, then what? Crap, it's like there is no memory of what happen after that. Now, the present, you're in his apartment (knowing from last time…best we forget), in his bed, that could only mean one thing. Lift the covers to confirm it...Yes, you did. You did the Beast with the two backs, the horizontal tango, whatever they call it! Hmm, he was right when he said he wasn't "little". No, focus! Look for your clothes and get the hell out of here! Ok, shirt over chair, pants on the floor, shoes...I can always get more shoes, underwear...Where is my underwear!' _

Before Lily could think of looking for her underwear, Roy groaned, moving once again in bed, his back towards her.

'Forger about underwear! Move, move, move!'

Lily slid out of bed, grabbing a blanket that had fallen to the floor and wrapping it around herself. She moved around the room, grabbing her clothes, making sure not to make too much noise. With the bundle of clothes in her hands, she walked towards the door. Just when she thought she had found sanctuary, she heard a voice that she really didn't want to hear at the moment.

"What are you doing in my bedroom, Marshall?"

_'Just when I thought I was home free!' _

Lily wheeled around, making sure her bed sheet wasn't slipping. He laid there on his side, his hand balancing his head as he looked at her. She couldn't help noticing that the bed sheet he had was slowly slipping below his navel. She inwardly cursed herself for acting like a teenager.

"I can explain...Wait, no, I can't. I...Roy..." She gulped and took a deep breath. "I have no idea what happened last night...But, if you look at our state of clothing or lack thereof … I think you will probably guess what happened." Lily said.

"You mean we had s-"

She put her hand up. "Please, don't. I don't want to be reminded of it anymore," she pleaded. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go home now. Mary and Leo are probably worried about me..."

"Wait!"

Lily's eyes nearly went out their sockets when she saw Roy getting up from the bed, covered by absolutely nothing, walking towards her. Placing one hand on the side of her head, he leaned in until their noses were almost touching.

"Promise me, Lily, that you won't go running off telling your friends what happen. I know I can trust you to keep this a secret, but I don't know about your friends. If word got out of what happened with us, we could probably lose our jobs and reputations." His eyes were emotionless as he said this coldly.

Lily forced down a gulp, slowly nodding her head. "Yes...I-I understand, Roy."

"Good, we are in agreement. Although I do wish I could remember what happened, alcohol does that to you. I will see you at work then," he said.

He backed up, already getting dressed. Lily quickly slipped out of the door, quickly getting dressed in the living room before nearly running like a banshee to her own home. This had to be the worst week of her life!

---

The door to the home of Mary, Lily, and Leo slowly opened, and one of the occupants walked into the dark room. She slowly closed the door and tried not to make any noise as she attempted to reach her bedroom before the others woke up. She was almost home free when once again, she was caught. She screamed, jumping in the air, when the light was suddenly turned on, revealing Mary and Leo sitting on the couch, looking mad as hell. Mary pushed herself up from the couch, walking over Lily. Her hands on her hips, she started to yell.

"Where on Earth have you been, young lady? You told us that you were going to Rick's after work! Now, you come home at nearly seven in the morning, your clothes wrinkly and bit dirty! You also smell like beer!"

"I...I was...at Rick's, Mary. We got carried away and I had to stay at his house.." she lied.

She didn't believe it. "No you didn't, Lily. When Lexi came here last night, she told us what happened with you and Rick and said you ran out of there crying and mad as all hell. Leo almost had to chain me up to keep me from running to that man and ripping out his spine for what he did to you! I told you that Rick wasn't a good guy!" she yelled.

Lily frowned, hurt, and looked away. Leo got up from the couch and, placing a hand on Mary's shoulder, he stopped her from yelling anymore.

"Lily..."he began softly. "We are both hurt from what happened with you and Rick, and you're probably feeling worse then we do. We were worried about you, a lot. Don't blame Mary, she is trying to keep you safe and be a good friend. She's sorry for yelling, I know that. Just, tell us where you really were." Leo looked at with soft eyes.

"I...I...can't say...I promised him not to tell," Lily whispered weakly.

"Who is 'him', Lily?" asked Mary.

Before Lily could answer, the door bell rang. Lily was the closest to the door and moved over, opening the door, her breath stopping short at who she saw. Roy Mustang stood on her porch. Was he following her or did he just know the perfect time to show up?

"What do you want, Roy? You've made my life terrible as it is," she said.

"I just wanted to give you this..."

He handed her a small piece of red cloth. Knowing what it was, she quickly placed it in her pocket, with a small blush. She raised an eyebrow, still seeing Roy there.

"What now? If you want something else, just forget about it," she told him, getting ready to close the door.

He sighed. "There's something I need to talk to you about. Can I come in?"

"Hmm...Nope! Say it now before I close the door in your face!" she warned.

He took a deep breath. "Alright, if that's what you want. Just, after you left, I found out what happened last night."

"We are married."

---

Author's Notes: Woot! I bet you guys never saw that coming! Rick, Rick, Rickie...You, sir, are an asshole! I wasn't orginaly going to go with the arrange marriage and having Rick use Lily like that, it just came to me! Lilyhas had her heart broken many a time, let's hope Roy can fix it for her. If you can't guess it, the red cloth is underwear! Kinky, much?

Until Next time! Keep reviewing!


	23. How Could It Get Worse?

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Full Metal Alchemist and Roy Mustang...You get the point

Author's Note: Yeah, yeah, I usually put this up first when something awful is going to happen. Don't worry, there isn't. I just want to say I'm really, really, super really sorry for delaying this chapter for you guys. I'm sad to say that I already written the same chapter twice! Once was finish in August but sadly...I think my computer deleted it somehow. I was so ticked off and upset I delayed it for a bit. Anyhow, I got like three or four chapters to go before...THE BIGGEST SURPRISE EVER! If someone, if any, could guess it...You are a mind taker or something from the future! Like Doctor Who! WOOT!

Here, the chapter you are waiting for!

-----

The moment those unheard-of words, ones they never thought possible, left Roy's mouth, Lily's body and mind shut down. Luckily, Leo (who is never mentioned in the story as often as I planned) grabbed the girl before she hit the floor. In a rush of panic, Mary accidentally elbowed Lily in the face. Thankfully, she didn't do much damage, so, don't tell Lily about it. They placed her on the couch with a damp cloth on her forehead and a blanket over her. Before they could do anything to help her, Tobias came over and bit down softly on her hand. The others were surprised at the young fox but it seem to work because Lily woke up a moment later, still confused by what had happened. Lily almost fainted again after she had asked Mary what happened and gotten her answer. After getting out of her fainting period, Lily decided to get to the point and talk.

"So, Roy, how did you found out about...us?" she asked, sitting next to Mary on the loveseat.

"Just as I was getting dressed, I saw this." Roy held out his hand, where a silver band could clearly be seen.

Lily, looking at her own left hand, saw a matching ring on her hand. She mentally groaned, _'Why didn't I notice that before?' _

"And when I felt something in my coat pocket, I pulled out this. Our marriage certificate, official, signed by a priest," he said while handing her wrinkle piece of paper.

Mary took it out of her hands without warning and looked closely at it for several moments before speaking.

"Yep, this is Lily's handwriting. Lily's are always hard to copy, it's too damn hard!" exclaimed the weirdo.

"Wait...You tried to forge my signature? For what purpose?" the blond asked.

"I...umm...I will tell you later, alright? Heh." Mary quickly said.

Lily let out a shaky sigh, staring at the marriage certificate. She knew this was a official one by it's watermark, signatures, and for the fact she often stared at a copy of one during her time with Adrian, before the harsh break-up. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she placed the little sheet paper on the table in front of her.

She never image herself married at her age. Well, to someone besides Mary's older brother, and that was when she was young and foolish. Lily could see being married to Rick in a few years, after they settled down for good, found a place of their own, and were still in love. It was a sharp turn in her life that she was now married, and to the wrong guy. Roy Mustang! She didn't even get to wear a wedding dress! Leaning back in her seat, she covered her face with her arm.

"There is no way this could get worse."

Everyone turn to the direction of the door when the door bell began to ring. Leo, being the closest to the door, opened the door, his tall form blocking the others from seeing who it was until Leo spoke.

"Sheska! What a pleasant surprise! What can I help you with?" he asked in the smoothest voice he had.

"Oh! Leo!" You could tell Sheska wasn't expecting Leo to come to the door, but she continued anyway. "I-is Lily here?"

The said girl was up in a second once her name was called. Brushing past Leo, Lily stood in front of Sheska. The little librarian looked like she has seen a ghost, or a couple of them. Lily pushed her worry about her to the back of her mind, wanting to save that for later, and get to why she was here in the first place.

"Sheska, what is it?" she asked.

"I...I...I..."she began to stammer, looking at the ground below them. She swallowed and turned back to Lily. "Is it true?! Are you really married to Roy?!"

Lily frowned and crossed her arms. "Yes. Thank you very much for bringing it up. Now go away before I call Tobias to get you."

The young alchemist's eyes nearly went of their sockets when Lily's brain finally clicked what Sheska had said. There was no way she could've known about this already! Unless, of course, she was listening in from outside or had some in the house to listen their conversations. Crap, if she did the latter, Sheska could've heard the mean comment Lily had said last week about her. She didn't want to lose a friend like Sheska! How else could she get books she couldn't find in stores anymore about alchemy? Wait, no, stop it. Stay focused. Worry about this later.

Lily, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she address Sheska. "Wait a minute. Sorry, Sheska, just been ticked off ever since this happened to me. Still trying to get away from the shell shock," she apologized.

"So, it is true?" she breathed.

"Yes," Lily nodded. "Now why don't you tell me how you found out about this?"

"Umm..." Sheska acted nervous, afraid of Lily's wrath for what she was going to tell.

"I read about it in the news paper. It's on the front page!" she quickly said.

A nerve in Lily broke inside her body, leaving her weak at the knees, her mind blank, a bit woozy, and feeling a bit sick. There is no way! How could this...? How is this even possible? It's impossible!

Leo had placed his hands on his friend's shoulders, holding her up. Looking towards Sheska again, "Please, dear Sheska, show us this newspaper in which you found about our Roy and Lily?" Leo asked politely.

Sheska nodded, handing him a rolled up local newspaper, Central Times, from behind her back. Taking a brief look in it, he looked back at the girl.

"Well, won't you come in? I think Lily needs a lot of friends right about now," he said.

Moving aside, with Lily in tow, he let Sheska in the house. Walking over to Mary, he showed her the newspaper article.

"Oh, my."

"Can I see it?" asked Lily, as she finally went back to her old self.

Mary didn't seem to have heard her. She even coughed to get her attention but Mary kept reading it. She gave Roy a sympathetic look—he shook his head and cleared his throat, grabbing Mary's attention.

"Mary, could you please hand me the newspaper?" he asked.

She smiled, nodding, and handed him the newspaper. Lily glared at her friend before sitting next to Roy, moving uncomfortably close to him to look over the article.

_**'Alchemists Transmute Love' **_

_It seems alchemists aren't always transmuting things with circle, at least in this case. Late last night, two state alchemists were seen together in some "friendly" ways. The two in question are Roy Mustang and Lily Marshall. These two are known throughout the country, it seems. Lily Marshall, foster daughter of the late Viktor Marshall (also a alchemist in his time), nearly a year into the military, has already been known for performing alchemy without circles, a feat that only one other has done before: Edward Elric. A few months ago, early into her career, Lily saved the young daughter of the Master family from being killed by a former butler of theirs. _

_Roy Mustang, a name larger then Lily's, is a known hero of the Ishbalan War. At the age of just 29, Roy Mustang has risen to the rank of Colonel. His legendary gloves, made of pyrotex cloth with an alchemic array, can create flames with just snap of his fingers. Until recently, those were the only things to his name, without boring all of you. As fact would have it, friends of Lily Marshall (Mary Lucas and Leonardo Curve), had create a fan club of the young colonel. They had started this club in their hometown, Raislen, with only a handle of people. Now that they are now living in Central, they have a large gathering of people of all ages. _

_As said earlier, the two alchemists were reported together last night. They were last seen going to a small church, just off the edge of Central and exiting an hour later. Earlier this morning, a reporter went into this church and asked the priest about the two. The priest seem overjoyed to the brink of tears as he spoke. _

_"I never, in my years as priest, have seen such a bright, loving, young couple! I was just tidying up for a ceremony the next morning when these two came in at late hours. I was confused at what their buisness was here in my small chapel. They seemed very happy together, smiling and their faces flushed. Without delay, they demanded a quick wedding ceremony. I was surprised by this at first. I haven't done a wedding ceremony in the longest time but I swallowed my worry and did the ceremony anyway. I provided them with rings the church provided for cases like this. After that, they went off into the night. It was a night that I will remember 'til my end of days." _

_We questioned some members of the 'Roy Mustang Fan Club' earlier, asking about the couple. They seem surprised when we told them Roy Mustang and Lily Marshall had married the night before. One of them cursed to themselves, saying something like : "Just one more month and I could've won the pot". Upon hearing this, we asked what they meant. They quickly replied that the club owner, Mary Lucas, had made a comment about Roy and Lily "getting together". The comment turned serious when the other members agreed upon this and made a bet. Everyone would bet when and how the two would become a couple. _

_There is much concern over whether the couple should make their marriage in public. There are other reasons- _

_Lily couldn't ready any more. She looked away before she could reach out and rip the newspaper into shreds. Her life kept getting worse and worse by the moment. Now that the marriage was public, she'd never live it down. What about her job? Were they allowed to have romantic relatsionship like this in the military? Was she going to lose her job as an alchemist? Her dreams vanished in a single sentence. The article was going to be the death of her! The gossiping reporters, the silly priest, and the bet... _

Snapping her head up with new resolve, she glared at her friend.

"You made a bet about me and Roy?" she hissed out.

Shame appeared on Mary's face. "Heh, I guess we did. I swear, I didn't mean that this would happen. I never imagined you two would end up like this..."

Leo smirked from beside Mary. "I did."

"What?!"

"I made a bet that you two would end up together by getting drunk, getting married, and probably sleeping together. Though I won half of it betting for my reason," Leo explained.

"What are you reading, Curve?" Lily glared at him.

"You know, this and that."

Lily covered her face with her hand and leaned back into the couch. She wished at that moment for the ground to open and swallow her whole. Reality came back again when she heard Roy's voice in the distance.

"You shouldn't be whining over a bet your friends made, there are more important things at hand," he said.

She glared at him when he complained she was whining. "Oh? Such as?"

"Our jobs for one. Technically, we aren't suppose to be married at this time. Unlike it says in the article, we were drunk and got foolishly married. We've embarassed the military and this could be harmful for our jobs, even to the point of being fired."

Lily stood up from the couch, looking down at Roy with her hands placed firmly on her hips.

"You think marriage is foolish?! It's supposed to allow people, people who are deeply in love, to evolve to a next step in their relationship. I didn't want this to happen, especially with you of all of people! I know, in my sober state, I would never have agreed to marry you. I wouldn't ever touch you intimately, even if I was the last woman on the planet!" Lily yelled.

"Umm...Lily, maybe you should calm down and sit back down." Mary suggessted.

She turned her head to her friend. "Calm down? I can't calm down now! My life keeps getting screwed over, I hardly see how I can calm down. My boyfriend had just lied to me and broke up with me, and in less then a few hours, I'm married to my boss. If you can see any positive things in this, tell me." She crossed her arms.

"Well...you would know if Roy cheats on you in the workplace, seeing as you work together," Leo said shyly.

"And your friends already like him!" Mary peeped in.

Lily huffed and stormed out of the room and slammed the door to her bedroom, leaving the others in silence. Roy looked towards the door and then to Mary and Leo, wondering what to say next.

"Sorry about her, Roy, she gets emotional like this sometimes," apologized Mary.

"Yeah, I have witnessed it a few times since I met her," Roy replied.

"Maybe you can try to cheer her up?" she suggessted.

"I don't think she would want to see me, much less speak to me."

"At least she doesn't hate your guts like she does us at the moment. We did place the bet on you two with being drunk. Maybe a bit drunk but not enough." the Lucas girl said.

"I don't think so..."

Mary got on her knees next to Roy and grabbed his leg and looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"Please do this for me! I'm the preisdent of your club! Don't I get special treatment?" she asked, pouting out her bottom lip.

Roy sighed, "Fine. Just this once."

Mary grinned when Roy got up and walked towards the bedroom door of his new wife. Before entering he heard Leo talking to Sheska.

"Thanks for recommending the date..."

Roy opened the door to the room, and closed it behind him. He saw Lily laying on her back on the bed, her legs dangling over the edge. The fox named Tobias was laying next to her, his head resting on her chest, her hand scracthing his head. She turn her head, looking towards the door, seeing Roy before looking towards the ceiling.

"Hello, Roy. Care to laugh at me?" she asked coldly.

"Why would I laugh at you?" Roy asked, hurt at her comment.

"Mary and Leo already have. With their stupid bet, they should laugh." Lily sighed.

He sighed and shook his head,"They were not laughing at you, Marshall. They are more worried about you then going off and making fun of you."

"Whatever."

"Stop acting so dramatic, Marshall, that's an order," Roy yelled.

"I'm not at work, Mustang, so leave me be." Lily spoke softly.

Roy gave up his attempt to using the harsh way to make Lily snap out of it and the only option left was the soft way. He sat down on the bed with Lily to his left. He glanced the fox that was staring at him with hungry eyes. He cleared his throat to get Lily's attention and stop the fox from imagining him as dinner.

"Care to explain the fox? I'm not sure personnel are allowed pets like a wild fox. Smaller animals are okay," he explained.

"Don't worry your head, Roy. I made sure Tobias is written as Mary's pet. Just in case I get fired for owning a 'dangerous' animal. Now I think I'm going to get fired for more then having Tobias," Lily said. "Besides, he's more of a guard dog than anything else. He is well behaved and has a nasty bite if you get him angry. You can pet him if you want," she added.

Roy looked at the red canine across from him, then to Lily, who gave him a reassuring nod. Reaching out, he held his hand under the foxes nose. Tobias sniffed it and licked one finger, then, before Roy could do anything, Tobias bit his finger. Roy pulled back, nursing his injured hand to his chest. What surprised him was that Lily was laughing beside him. Looking at her, he questioned her strange behavior.

"What is so funny?" he snapped.

Lily calmed down before answering,"I'm just surprised. Tobias isn't usually friendly like that to new people. When Mary and Leo tried to pet him, Tobias broke skin. Count yourself lucky, you just got a small bite."

Roy got to the point of being here. "Are you going to forgive Mary and Leo?" he asked.

That made the smile on her face disappear, sitting up, knocking Tobias off. Lily sat there, resting her arms on her knees, looking at the floor.

"I don't know. I mean, they did place a bet on us. It's not like they destroyed my life or threw Tobias out for good. It's the principle of the thing! It's better than having them marry us by themselves. I'm just...really mad and disappointed..."

"Disappointed?"

"Yeah," she smiled weakly. "I'm disappointed that I didn't come up with the idea myself. Not, us getting hooked up or even married. I wish I thought of the idea of a betting game within the fan club about you. Like when you were going to go crazy or something." Lily explained.

"Uhh...thanks?"

Roy cleared his throat, going back to the subject at hand. "You should forgive them, at least stay friends with them. Friends like them come and stick around until the end. You're lucky."

"It almost sounds like you're jealous, Roy. Care to explain why I'm so lucky?" She smirked inwardly.

"Let's just say, I used to have a friend that was dear to me. He was almost like a brother to me. He helped me though some rough times, without asking much in the end. He was a good friend. He isn't with us anymore, if you want to know. He was like the male form of Mary, in other words," Roy explained.

"I bet he would fight her for the title of the club if he could," Lily smiled.

He stood up from the bed, looking down at Lily. "Now, are you ready to go out there and forgive your friends?"

Lily sighed, she nodded and stood up as well. "Let's do this before I forget..."

They walked out of the bedroom and outside, into the living room. Mary, Leo, and even Sheska, were still there, sitting in complete silence. Lily cleared her thoart, snapping them out of their thoughts.

"After talking to Roy for a while, I decided to forgive you."she said, quickly.

"Really?! Thank goodness!" exclaimed Mary. She got up and almost hugged Lily when she put up her hand to stop her.

"But before that, I must do something else. I need to figure out how to end my marriage with Roy. Sheska," Lily turned to her,"is there is any way that Roy and I can get divorced without any complications? Like splitting up the belongs and whatnot?"

Sheska thought for a minute,"I think so. I don't think I have any books on it in my house. I would need to get more," she explained.

Lily nodded and turned back to her two friends, Leo and Mary. "In order to really be forgiven, you two are going to help Sheska read and purchase those books. You can use the winnings Leo got to help pay for them."

"But.." protested Mary.

"No but's, Mary. I'm so close to kicking you out of here, both you and Leo, for good. You can figure out where to live and what not. Do you want to live here and help me get divorce or would you rather live in a cramped apartment away from here and possibly, Roy?" Lily asked, looking strict.

Mary frowned, "No, Lily."

"Good, we are agreed then. You will help Sheska, no matter how long it takes, get us out of this mess." she said, making sure they knew what they were getting into.

Roy placed an hand on her shoulder."I think we have bigger fish to fry right now. Don't forget we can lose our jobs over this, wife?" He resisted the urge to smile at the stunned look on Lily's face.

She sighed, remembering, and nodded slowly. "Yes, we could, dearest husband."

-----  
As the pair walked the halls of Central Headquarters, the lucky few who manage to get outside, whispered and stared (along with pointing) at them. One of them was embarassed beyond belief, with a red face, probably mixed with anger, and their head bowed. The other, however, was smirking at their counterpart, the resistance having disappeared long ago, but couldn't forget what was at stake. Finally they reached their destination. Both wanted to go inside and escape the whispering for the time being. The smirking one reached over to turn the handle and open the door.

The moment they walked in, the room had a soft, yet harsh air around everyone. The only sound coming from the room was the sound of the clock that hung on the wall, ticking away by the second, going onto minutes. Even by the small movements could cause the moment to end roughly. Guess who decided to take it upon himself to ruin it. The resident chain smoker, Jean Havoc. Standing up from his seat, he confronted his boss, his superior, his high man, his—you know what? Let's just this over with, shall we?

Clearing his throat, he spoke. "Roy, sir, I want to tell you that I have a mind to slug you right where you stand. I'm not going to, though," he said.

Roy raised an eyebrow. "May I ask why, Havoc?"

"For forcing Lily into a marriage she didn't want in the first place. I don't think, in a right state of mind, she would marry her boss," he quickly added. "No offense."

Lily's face was red when he said this. She looked shy and embarassed but inside she was cheering. She found someone who wasn't against her in this situation or having fun with it. Lily; 1, Roy; Her entire friends. Just before her little dance in the mind went on, Havoc continued to talk.

"And just when I thought I had a chance...Someone snatches her away." Havoc sighed out loud.

He had his shoulders slumped and almost about to cry, though it looked like he already had. Falman rose from his seat, laid a hand on Havoc's slumped shoulders and whispered something to his co-worker along the lines of 'Enough is enough, Havoc, before you get yourself in trouble', or something like that. Lily wasn't great at reading lips.

Roy addressed his entire staff, getting away from Havoc's depressed state."Just because Lily and I are married does not mean you have to act differently around us. It's still just another day. I'm still your superior and that will stay that way, no matter what."

"Unless we get fired..." Lily mumbled out loud, without thinking.

Their eyes all turned on her, staring in wonder and confusion. Lily mentally slapped herself for speaking out loud what should've stayed inside her head.

_'Me and my big mouth...' _

"I mean to say that I'm a bit tired about this whole deal. Hehe." she quickly made up.

_'Not the best cover-up, is it?' _

Everyone's attention drove away from Lily when the door was open and a woman, whom Lily never really saw often and couldn't place her name, but had seen her around the Central Headquarters, mostly around King Bradley. Either she was his wife or worse, his assistant, meaning her and Roy's fate was going to be clear soon, in other words, they were going to be fired. Lily felt her stomach tighten and had smalls pains in the back when she first look at her, fearing all the worst. The woman was wearing a pale formal suit with a green shirt under it. Her hair was straight, long, earthy brown. She had an air of authority.

"Colonel Mustang, Major Mar—excuse me, _Mustang_, I'm the Führer's secretary, Juliet Douglas. King Bradley wishes to see you as soon as possible." she said softly.

----

Lily never been in the Fuhrer's office before. It was huge compared to the one she worked in—that was like a closet next to this grand room. It was so much fancier then she could've imagined. A wall full of windows, the curtains pushed back to let the sun come in. A good sized desk near the wall next to the windows, a comfortable chair, empty and without it's owner. A littler desk for the secretary, which was only a bit smaller then the regular desks, the chair filled with the female asisstant. Opposite of that was a long bar, full of drinks, from fine whiskey to wine, all against the wall, a few cups here and there (of differnt sizes and colors). Finally, the furniture that seem normal. A fine, long, black maple coffee table sat in between two black couches, opposite of each other, with two side tables at each end. One of them held Lily and Roy, both sitting at different sides.

Lily's foot was figeting, bouncing up and down, biting her bottom lip to the point of bleeding, her stomach doing flip flops, and her blood feeling gone from her body. In other words, she was scared and nervous to the extreme. Many thoughts were racing in her mind, not getting much answers before a next one came up. It was crazy. How is King Bradley going to punish them? Is he going to fire them and kick them out of Central forever? What was she going to do with her life after this job? The only thing she knew was alchemy, a bit of herbology (from Viktor), and miminal cooking! Will she be Mrs. Mustang forever? The last one almost brought her to tears.

Lily's musing were put to an end when the doors finally opened, if any, all noise stopped inside the room, that Lily could hear her heartbeating in her ears. She, and the other two in the room (which she almost forgot about) had their full attention at the one coming into the room. He was like some girls would describe their perfect boy; tall, dark (haired), and—if you like eyepatches— handsome. Clad in the standard issue Amestris state military uniform, along with added medals and achievements (nothing fancy, just that), showing he had accomplished a few goals and life changing events. Such a firm looking face but he could easily smile and make the best of a situation without losing his cool, or glare at you with his eyes—I mean, eye. He was the Führer.

He didn't seem so surprised to see the pale faces of the two in question, it's the all the same when their jobs were on the line. Mustang, a man who had seen, experienced it all. Many years under his belt. The former Marshall, an upcoming alchemist, who had much (much) potential for her. Having surprises at every corner, it seemed, and having many friends to support her through it. When this predicament came up today, she looked like she had seen enough of life and wanted to move on. King Bradley chuckled inwardly.

"Before we begin, would you either of you like something to drink to calm your nerves?" he asked.

Lily had had enough of alcohol for the time being. It caused her too much trouble already. She didn't want to get drunk again and make a stupid mistake, like for example; getting married to Roy Mustang. She shook her head 'no' and sat as far into the seat as she possible could. Roy, on the other hand, asked for a glass of whiskey on the rocks (he was going to need it).

After that was done, King Bradley sat on the opposite couch, in the middle of it. Reaching over across the table, he grabbed a thick stack of paper, which was the Central Times. Sipping on a cup of coffee as he casually read the front page. After a few, long, minutes, he finally stopped and placed the paper back on the table, his cup along with it. Looking up at the two alchemists, surprisingly, he smiled.

"Well, I must say, I was rather surprised to read this," he pointed to the newspaper," and see something about two of the top alchemists here, caught up in a not-so-ideal situation. It's not the first time you two were mentioned in the newspaper. I do remember correctly, something about Lily Marshall rescuing the young Master's girl and in turn being saved by Mustang here. Nearly a year into this and you've already caused much ruckus here, Major." Bradley looked towards her.

Lily blushed slightly and wished she had taken something to calm her nerves now. Though, she did flinch when the Führer mention the Master family, which always made her think fo Rick. Gah, she didn't need to remember him now, after what he put her through.

Roy finally spoke up. "Sir, I don't mean to be blunt but concerning something like this...I haven't read the rules of the office environment in a while, but employees aren't allowed to get marriage or go beyond that without permission to do so. May I ask how long we have before we have to clean out our offices?" he asked.

Bradley looked surprised at this and finally laughed out loud. "Don't tell me you think you're going to be fired because of this?!"

The two looked surprised and glanced at each other, not knowing who was going to speak next. Luckily, Bradley stepped in and explained it all them.

He turned serious. "As you know, in this military, no matter how much we try, we get scandals and tragic events almost every week. It is really ruinous to our reputation and trust of the people we try to protect. But this marriage within our walls has turn many bright eyes to us in happiness. It's not every day two well known alchemists get married. And yes, Mustang, it is in our guidelines that no military personnel may marry without proper permission. Seeing as that people now are talking about something besides scandal, I don't see why I have to kick you out for the marriage. Unless you do want to get out," he said.

Lily shook her head,"No sir, we don't. Thank you for letting us keep our jobs, it means a lot to us."

"Now, if you don't mind,"Bradley stood up,"I do believe that we all have much work to do before the day is over. You are dismissed."

Lily's heart had felt lighter since this morning. Inside, she was doing a little dance for joy. She got to keep her job! No more thinking of a grim future now. Not needing to get another, low paying job and having to let Mary and Leo get the income. Roy and Lily bowed and proceeded to walk outside. They were barely outside the door when Führer called back to them.

"Oh, and if you have a child, I would like you to name it after me," he smiled, showing it was a joke.

After that, they finally got outside the big office. Lily let out a breath, which she had been holding in for some time, and finally relaxed. Roy, on the other hand, didn't seem relax.

"Don't forget we have to get out of this marriage soon, before the Führer change's his mind," Roy reminded her.

Lily sighed in annoyance now. "You couldn't let me take a breather? Anyway, we get to it when we get to it." She patted his shoulder. "Relax, it will do you justice."

She walked over him and headed towards the double doors that lead to the main offices. She waved her hand, and pushed open the door.

"Come on, slow poke, before I have to drag you back to the office," she called behind her back.

-------

Lily sighed, throwing her bag carelessly on the floor, as she walked into the familiar house she shared with her friends for nearly a year. She couldn't believe that she had been in Central for nearly a year! It felt much quicker. Yet, there were so many events that took place here that it was amazing that she didn't just leave Central and go back to Raislen and have some peace and quiet. Hell, she left her perfect little town to have some excitment in her life. Who was she to complain?

Plopping down on the couch, she rolled her head, working out the kinks in her neck. She stopped when she heard a pop and sighed in content when the ache was subsided. Pulling her feet onto the couch, she toed off her boots and unbuttoned the front of her blue military uniform. The house was too quiet to her liking. Tobias was asleep in the corner of the living room, his head tucked into his body. She smiled, he was too cute to describe. Now, where were the Destructive Duo she knew and loved as her friends?

The answer came when the door opened for the second time in the past five minutes and the raven-haired woman, walked in, with a tired face. She looked like she didn't sleep at all. Poor girl. Lily smirked when Mary had fully walked in and sat down on the loveseat, oblivious to Lily sitting across from her until the blonde spoke.

"Hello, Mary. Welcome back home," she said.

Mary literally jumped in her seat. She laid an hand on her chest and breathed in and out, staring at Lily.

"Holy Mustang Shorts! Lily, don't you scare me like that again. I just come in here, expecting to be alone and you just show up!" exclaimed the frustrated Lucas girl.

Lily smiled and shook her head,"Yes, Mary, I did have a good day today. I didn't get fired."

Mary's face lit up, she clapped her hands and squealed."Yay! That means Roy keeps his job as well. I don't want to have you blamed for costing him his job by the fan club. I know some who are a bit crazy in the head. Nutjobs and stalkers, things like that."Mary said, leaning on her elbow.

Lily sighed and looked at Mary. "So, how is the search coming along? Got anything useful that we can use to get me and Roy separated?" she asked.

She thought for a mintue before answering."Yes, I think we found something good. I think it's called an annulment or something. It's nothing like a divorce, where you guys separate your stuff and such. It's quick and easy. Sadly..." Mary bit her bottom lip.

"Sadly, it takes a while to get papers to have annulment, "she added.

"How long?"

Mary flinched. "About two months."

Lily groaned and buried her head in her hands, her elbows resting on her knees. Mary got up and sat down next to her, patting her back, trying to make her feel better.

"Well, it is sort of new in Central so not a lot of people are used to the system. Most people get married and then a few years later, get divorced. I don't think you want to be married to Roy for a few years. Hey, Leo and Sheska are back at her house, still trying to get more information about it. Don't worry, we will be with you all the way. That's what friends are for."Mary smiled, hugging Lily with one arm.

Lily looked up, seeing how Mary was determined to help her friend out. She wondered, if their roles were reversed, would Lily help her out of a marriage? Wait, if Mary was married to Roy, she would be kicking and screaming, probably murder someone before she would divorce from Roy. Of course, what if Roy wanted the divorce more then she? She smiled, thinking of Mary driving Roy crazy.

Mary stood up and pulled Lily up."Now, my friend, I think you need to get washed up. Get something slimmy and skimpy and go celebrate your honeymoon with Roy! If you want me to pack you a suitcase, I would be more then happy to!" she exclaimed.

Lily rolled her eyes, Mary and her crazy ideas.

"I'm just going to take a shower and get dressed in normal clothes. I expect, when I get out, to have a big dinner on the table,." Lily walked towards the bathroom door, stopping in the threshold, she called over her shoulder," And there better not be a naked Roy cake like last time!"

Mary pouted when Lily walked fully into the bathroom, shutting the door. An idea popped in her mind, the sound of water running blocking her voice from Lily's line of hearing.

"She never said anything about a naked Roy pie!"

---

Author's Note (Part 2): First off, a Roy cake is just a picture of Roy...naked plaster on the cake. Don't ask how Mary got a picture of Roy being naked, so far, Lily is the only one who has seen him without any clothes. Lucky girl huh? I'm very sad that Hughes died earlier in the episodes or I could've really used him right now! He would really bug Roy on getting marry and tell him when he has kids, their kids could have a play date. Wouldn't that be cute? Hehe.

Please Review!


	24. Flame Verse Flower

Disclaimer: I don't own Full-metal Alchemist. I just own my computer and Lily and friends.

(This is not Beta proofed so shut up if you see grammar mistakes!)

-----

Lily Marshall, or should I say, Mustang, was lounging about in her room, alone. No signs of Tobias or even Mary or Leo in the room or outside. Tobias, she didn't know where he went off to, he was a tricky little fox. He probably took off somewhere to chase down some rats or something. Mary and Leo, well...Lily didn't know where they were either. She was alone in her own house with nothing to do. She didn't wish for any more excitement now, she had enough. Like getting married for starters.

Two months. Two full months of being married to Roy Mustang, her husband, her superior, her friend's obsession. She was surprised she wasn't run out of Central from the fan girls of the club of her husband's. She did hear Mary talking to someone to keep away from Lily, or else they will never be in the club again and take away every club "goodies" from them. What kind of "goodies" was Mary talking about? Lily was a bit scared to find out.

She visited the doctor the day after she found out she was married to Roy to make sure they didn't do anything to make their marriage weird. Babies. She didn't want babies right now, she was too young. The first week, waiting for the test results were the hardest. All week, her stomach was tightening and she did not feel good. It soon change when the doctor called her up telling her the news. She wasn't pregnant. Mary and Leo did seem a bit devastated but were glad that their friend wasn't pregnant, at least not right now.

Lily put down the book she had been reading over and over again, by now she would know it by heart. For once she was hoping the weekend would be over so she could so to work and busy her mind and body. Since the papers announce Roy and her were man and wife, her co-workers were acting different towards her for the first couple of days. The males of the group seem hesitant to even talk to her. They believed when Roy would breath down their necks if they even laid a hand on his new wife. Was Roy even a jealous type? Lily was aware her other co-workers had small crushes on her, if they didn't already knew she had known about since the first day of work. Lily was the only female, or I should say, approachable female into the office. Riza seem above from dating co-workers, a bit cold, and almost a bit rude. Of course, Lily didn't really had a good nor bad relationship with the other female in their group. Maybe Lily should start talking to her. But, either then that, Riza was no better then the reactions of the other guys. She seem to cast glares at Lily every so often. No, it couldn't be. Could it? Riza was jealous of Lily "taking" Roy for herself before the she could? That was ridicules!

Lily was taken away from her strange musing when the front door open and hurried foot steps rushing inside. She went on the defensive, not liking the sound not one bit. She stood her back against the wall near the door, hiding from view. If these "intruders" came in here, there was going to be hell to pay! No one dare enter Lily Marshall-I kept on forgetting- Mustang's house and didn't regretted it.

No more then a half a minute later, the door to the master bedroom slammed open and ran in two figures. One had dark hair, a pale face and a almost evil grin on their face. The other had light colored hair and taller to the former figure. The former figure looked to be carrying something in their hands, papers. The two figures looked wildly around the room for the owner of it.

"Lily? Darling, where are you?"asked one of them

"She could've gone out for awhile..."suggested the other.

They both turn when they heard the door slowly closing. The dark figure smiled seeing the owner behind the door. The smile disappear when they saw the angry look on her face, along with a red mark on her face. Probably from when the door hit her in the face.

"Do you,"she breathed each word out,"have any manners? You could've knock before you busted in here. For all you know, I could be doing something that was personally. Now, please, explain to me why you did that?"she asked

Mary smiled softly, seeing that Lily was trying to control her anger. But Lily would happy for what she held in her hands.

"We are just excited to get this,"she indicted the stack of papers in her hand,"After a long wait, we finally got them."

"Them?" She gasped when it clicked in her mind,"You don't mean them, do you?"Mary and Leo nodded

She tackled Mary by wrapping her arms around her friend's neck and hugged her tightly. Mary regain her balance, laughing at the sight of Lily acting happy, she needed to be. Lily almost looked to be in tears. She let go of Mary and hugged Leo, who had much more balance then his other friend.

"Thank you! Thank you!"she yelled when she let go of them.

She took the papers from Mary's out stretch hand and looked over through it. Everything seem to be in check. In her hands, she held the divorce papers that allowed her back her freedom and her maiden name again.

"For once, I'm glad that tomorrow is Monday. Tomorrow, I get Roy to say this and I will be free!"she exclaim in delight.

Tomorrow was going to be an heck of a day.

---

Lily woke up the next morning, free of scary dreams (which, I have to admit, were having a lot of), not having her breakfast burnt, and waking just before the alarm went off. The water in the shower was right at it's best temperature for Lily. She dressed in her uniform, making sure she got the right shirt, grabbed her suitcase, her black coat, and finally, the divorce paperwork. Saying 'good-bye' to her friends, she was out of the door.

She was humming a small tune in her head as she walked the halls that lead to her office. She patted the suitcase at her side, making sure it was there were it should be. She had a string in her step as she walked. Once she sat down with Roy, made him sign the papers, she could claim her rights as a free woman, I mean one who wasn't bound to marriage.

She was too busy thinking for many ways to celebrate to notice that someone was coming towards her. At least until she ran head first into them and fell onto the floor, right on her suitcase. Lily knew there was going to be a bruise there tomorrow.

"Woah there, a young girl like yourself shouldn't bump into man like myself. Your lucky you just fell down."came the voice above

Glancing upwards, if Lily wasn't sitting on the floor right now, she would've have jumped, when she looked towards the owner of the voice. It wasn't much of a big surprise to see him standing there but it was just the fact that she felt tiny compare to his height and mass. The person, I'm talking about, was the one and only Major Armstrong. She let out a yelp when Armstrong had reached down and pulled her up in a standing position. If it wasn't too fast, she would've thought some magical force brought her up.

"Thanks, Armstrong,"she breathed, a little shaken up by the quick action.

"Think nothing of it. The Armstrong family never lets a lady down on the ground, especially when they caused it in the first place."he exclaimed, nearly yelling.

"Heh,"she let out, not knowing to reply,"Sorry, Armstrong, I need to head into my office before Roy catches me out here."she pointed out, already brushing past him.

She stopped in her tracks when Armstrong calling out her name. Turning on a heel, she faced him again. She notice there was several sheets of paper in his hands. Looking down, she saw paper scattered on the floor, right she was. Glancing down, she saw her briefcase was open and dangling it's top. It must've bust open when she fell on it. She sighed and walked back.

"Thank you, Armstrong."she quickly said before getting down and picking up her papers.

She was thankful when Armstrong helped her out. It would take several minutes if she had to pick up all of them by herself. It took less then two minutes to gather up everything, there was nothing missing...Wait a minute! Where were the divorce documents. She made sure she put them in the inner pocket of the briefcase for safety keeping. She searched through the pocket, it wasn't there. Lily accounted for every loose papers but where was it? Her answer was soon answer.

"You almost forgot about these..."Armstrong paused as he read the documents briefly,"Divorce papers?"he question.

Lily stood up, taking the papers from him and placing it in her suitcase.

"Yes, divorce papers, Major,"Lily said,"For Roy and me."

He raised one of his eyebrows,"Why would to go out and do something like that? I personally thought you and Roy were a perfect couple. I must say, ever since you arrived, you made a big influence on him."

Lily decided to ask about that later. She had a big influence on Roy? It didn't seem like much, but of course she never met him before. Maybe she did...She shook her head. She was just thinking of pointless things. Speaking of pointless things...

Lily bit her bottom lip before looking up at Armstrong again."Armstrong, sir, may I ask a question...about your sister?"she asked

"Oh?"

"Well, is it true..."she gulped nervously,"That your sister is marrying Richard Master?"

"Oh, yes, Katherine is very excited about getting married. Richard is a very, handsome young man. I'm sure they will get along alright! I can them now,"Armstrong seem to drift off into his own world,"Their children, with the bodies of the Armstrong family and the intelligence of the Master family!"he exclaim

'I won't call Rick intelligent...'

Lily quickly snapped out her thoughts, seeing what time it was on the clock behind them."Well, anyway, I better get going! Tell your sister, I wish her good luck!" 'She is going to need it.'

Lily quickly ran behind Armstrong and headed towards her office. She was huffing and puffing by the time she went inside. She was close to check what time it was until she heard a voice in front of her.

"Right on time,"Roy spoke, rather bored as he ran a nameless document,"Let's just hope you can keep it up for good."

Lily glared at Roy briefly before walking towards her desk. She smirked inwardly, she couldn't wait until she gave him the documents to end their marriage. She wanted to see the look on his face...But, now, when should she do it? Maybe during their breaks, it would be easier for him to sign them. She already did, at least at her places.

'Just you wait, Mustang, I'm going to get you.'

----

Lily, instead of heading towards the lunch hall with her fellow co-workers, she stayed behind. She picked up the folder that laid untouched on her desk. Ever so often she would peer at the clock, counting down the seconds or starring at that folder. She took a deep breath and picked up the folder and walked towards the main desk, it's occupant busy himself away at a document that had to be done.

"What do you need, Lily?"Roy asked, never taking his eyes off the papers in hand.

She slid the folder in front of him, blocking his view of the document underneath. He looked up instant, he looked mostly annoyed.

"These are you to sign. I have sign what I can and now it's your turn."Lily said pointly

She watched with careful eyes as her husband read over the papers inside the folder.

"If you haven't notice yet, they are divorce papers."she said, coldly

He looked up again, this time with surprise. He chuckled with mirth before relaxing back in his chair, placing the folder down.

"I'm surprise you decided to do this. I don't mean the divorce papers, though I knew about, but not in this way,"he explain,"Mostly women who hate their husbands would do in a most embarrassing ways. But, you did this in private and not in front of everyone."

"I don't hate you, Roy, and I'm not like most women,"Lily began,"And I happen to be thinking of ways to embarrass you earlier but I thought against it. I didn't want Mary and Leo, along with their fan club, to blame me if their little hero was depressed and crying. You never want to anger some fan girls, they are vicious."

Still, the smug smirk (known as far as the club did, the 'Mustang Signature Move'), on his face. Lily inwardly raised an eyebrow, it looked like he was hiding something from her.

"What's with the look?"she asked, getting worried about it.

He reached down and pulled something from the bottom drawer of his desk. It was a slip of paper, nothing more. He casually handed her it. Taking it, she skimmed over it. Blah, blah, blah, and more blah. At least until she got to the final paragraph. That made her stop, her breath becoming heavier. She looked at Roy over the rim of the paper.

"My...My annual recerticfication?"

"Yes, it's when a State Alchemist has to do to renew their license."he explain

"I know what it is!"she yelled before going back to worried,"I didn't know that it was coming up so soon. I have nothing to prepare!"she let out a groan

Roy raised an eyebrow,"How can you not know? I sent you several letters, telling you about this."

Letters...? What letters? Lily was about to ask him when it hit her like a ton of bricks. Of course! Those letters! She remember getting them. In truth, when she saw the return address, she threw them away. She bit back another groan.

She cleared her throat,"They probably got lost in the mail."she quickly said

"Well, you have to think of something fast, you are scheduled to bring something up in two days."Roy warned her.

Lily sighed,"I don't see why you have to bring this up when I'm divorcing you, Roy."she crossed her arms.

The smirk return,"It's because I'm not signing them."

A nerve in her brain twitch,"W-what? What do you mean your not signing them! I spent countless days waiting for these to come in and now your not going to sign them?!"

He didn't seem fazed by this,"I mean to say, I'm not signing them until...You get your assesment finished,"

He continue,"But if you still pass, I'm not going to."

"What?!"she slammed her hands on the desk and leaned in,"Roy, for the love of all that is holy, you have to sign them. I would do anything to get your signature."she exclaimed, not thinking.

His smirk grew bigger,"Anything?"

----

"Wait, what?!"

"Yeah, you heard right. I would appreciate it if you some screaming like that."

"B-but this is serious. If you accept this, you could almost ruin your life."

"Easy down, girl, let Lily tell her story, alright?"

Lily sighed in relief, thankful for Leo stopping Mary from going on. She seem to take the news well, at least for her.

She cleared her throat and began her story from the beginning."See, Roy sent me some letters in the mail-No, Mary, not love letters- but informing me that my annual recerticfication was coming up and wanting me to prepare. I think I sort of threw them out. But, my thing is in two days and I have nothing plan. I wish Viktor was here to help,"she groaned,"Anyway...Roy said he wouldn't sign the divorce papers until I get this done and over with. That's about it."

"What about the mini skirts?"asked Leo, calmly

She sighed again,"He said if I don't get something up in the next two days, he promise he would help me but...I have to wear a mini-skirt at work for a whole week. I have to think of something good and fast!"

Mary thought for a minute before letting out a gasp,"How about you let me dress as you and I can wear the mini skirt!"

She frowned, feeling crushed when the both blonds in the room stared at her like she was crazy. "Or, we can help you with it."

"Thanks you guys. I do not want to have Havoc drooling over me if I don't get this done."Lily said, her friends nodding in argument

She clapped her hands together,"Now, let's get to work."

---

Two days. 48 hours. 2880 minutes. Countless seconds. That's all they had. Mary, Lily, Leo, and even some bit of Sheska thrown in there, worked long and hard just to scratch the tip of the ice burg. Trying to scrap up any information, either an experiment they were trying to fix or correct it, make a new one, make a research about a subject concerning alchemy. Hell, they even thought about making Tobias into a female fox (several bits for this foolishness). They even dug up Viktor's old files. And you know what they came up with in that time?

Nothing.

Absolute nothing. Not even a page of paper could help them now. All the hours they stayed up late, all for nothing. Lily could hear her State Alchemy name and watch ripped from her person. Either she made the deal with Roy, mini-skirts and all, or be face trying to get a waitress job at a coffee shop. And she didn't want to get five dollar tips everyday for the rest of her natural born-life.

Lily sighed, a frown on her face, buttoning up the last button of her blue overcoat. She checked if everything was order, she didn't; want to look ugly or dirty for her funeral day. Great, she had to use the word funeral! Well, she did felt it the last day of her life, in some sorts. Be embarrassed and lust after forever by every male in the military or never be the 'Crimson Petal' again.

A sharply knock brought her out her thoughts.

"Ready to go, Tiger-Lily?"asked the voice behind the door. Leo. Him, and his strange nicknames.

"Yeah, give me a minute, alright?"she asked, a soft rap was her answer.

She turn and face the mirror in front of her. She looked at herself one last time,"It's now or never."she whisper

Lily grabbed her briefcase and walked out her room. Outside, her two best friends were waiting for her. They engulf her in a big hug.

"Good luck, Lily. You are really going to need it."Leo said, letting go, handing her a paper bag for lunch and an apple for her breakfast.

Mary smiled, giving her friend a longer hunger,"Did you remember to shave your legs, Lily? You have to bare legs to wear tiny mini skirts!"she exclaimed, half joking and half serious.

Lily giggled,"Thanks you guys. I mean it, thanks. I guess, I will see you later then."

Leo patted her on the back and usher out of the door. She let out another sighed when she was outside. Looking upwards, she prayed Viktor, where he was, to help to do this. She needed all the luck in the world!

----

It was now or never.

"Yes, Lily?"Roy asked, looking up from his desk at his employee

Lily exhaled and closed her eyes for a moment before gathering up her courage and spoke,"I'm give up."

"You mean..."

"Yes, Roy. I couldn't get a report, research, project, anything done for my assesement! I tried my best and yet, I failed...I summit. I want your help, meaning if I have the mini skirt."Lily said through clenched teeth."So, what do you have in mind?"

"A fair duel."he simply replied

"A duel? Why do I feel like slapping someone with a white glove?"she asked out loud,"So, who will be the lucky one who will face my wrath?"she add a grin

Her grin looked very...devilish and evil. It was like she was having fun just imaging fighting against someone without helping it, Roy felt a shiver go down his spine and not the good one. He hoped it wasn't noticed.

"Anyone you want, if they agree with it."Roy replied

Her grin only widen,"Oh, I know who to ask..."

----

Lily was whistling happily, nearly skipping down the hallway. She wore, instead of her stander military uniform, blue sweat pants and a white tank top. She was going to get ready for the fight of a life time. There was no time to fool around with a tight suit. Everything was at peace with Lily, this was starting to be a good day. Not a perfect one. A perfect day for Lily would be Roy bowing down to her and serving grapes while people worshiped her. She let out a giggle, that did sound very fun indeed.

"Lily!"

She turn around, once her name was called. Seeing who wanted her was her two friends running towards her. Finally reaching her, Mary was bending over, trying to catch her breath. Leo, on the other hand, looked calm and collected, not huffing or puffing.

"We came as soon as you called, Lily."Mary manage to get out,"So what did good ole Mustang advise for you to do?" her eyes beamed with a wicked glint,"Hunt down someone? Or maybe kill someone?"she asked

Lily took a step back,"What is with and killing? Dropped on the head too many times as a baby?"

Mary frown,"I don't really know. I will have to ask,"she drifted off to her own world before coming back,"So what do you really have to do?"

Lily placed her hands on her hips, smiling in triumph."Well, I get to duel a certain alchemist. I will give you a hint; he controls a certain element and is going down today!"she beamed

The two thought for a minute, trying to figure out who Lily meant.

"Armstrong?"Leo suggested

"Someone we don't know?" Mary said

Lily face fell, she couldn't they only knew so few alchemists when she was one! She sighed, giving up trying to get them to answer correctly.

"Roy. I'm going to fight Roy Mustang, your hero, your savior, your...whatever!"

Mary let out a shriek of a gasp,"Oh my god! How is that possible? Why do you want to fight Roy, Lily?!"

Lily sighed,"I would rather fight Rick but seeing he is not a State Alchemists, I can't. I do wish I could beat his sorry ass. Besides Roy needs a another ass kicking."

"A-another?"her friend squeaked

It looked Lily was lost to her own world,"I loved the time I challenge him in the gym. He couldn't believe he lost to a girl, a lower ranking girl! Oh, I will beat him again and this time, with style! Put a little bruise on his ego. I won't go down to wearing mini skirts without a fight!"

A loud sound cut off her ramblings. Glancing down, she saw Mary on the floor, unconscious. She cast a worry glance at Leo.

Leo shrugged,"I guess she couldn't possibly imagine Roy getting beaten. He's more of her hero then me. Don't worry, I will get her something to drink and she will be alright, for the most part."

Lily smiled,"Thanks, Leo. Could just come soon so you guys can watch me fight? I could really use your support."she admitted

Leo smirked and kissed his friend on the top of the head. Bending down, he picked up the unconscious form of Mary and gave one wave to Lily before heading off to take care of Mary.

"Well, time to get ready. The show is about to start."

----

Lily rolled her shoulders as she stood outside, currently standing proudly and eager in a small ringed arena. Nearly everyone from the military and public, those that got access, were watching and waiting for the two well-known State Alchemist's duel to begin. It was going to be a sight to behold! Husband verse...er..ex-wife? Man verse woman. Pupil verse teacher (not like Roy was a teacher). And flames verse the lone flower. You may ask yourself, where was Lily's opponent, also known as Roy Mustang.

He had yet to showed up.

Lily let out a small sigh and kicked a pebble off the ground. She, and the rest of the patient viewers, had been there for nearly an hour. If he didn't show up soon, she was going to make him pay. Lily jumped when the appointed announcer of this tournament spoke on his hand-held microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen! The hour limit on waiting for the fighters to get ready has ended! Major Lily Mustang verse Colonel Roy Mustang is canceled due to the late colonel's attendance,"several groans were heard,"In the absence of the Flame Alchemist, he has forfeit and the victory goes to The Crimson petal Alchemist!"the announcer finished.

Lily clutched her fist tightly to her sides, her body shaking up anger and disappointment. She was hope for a real battle with Roy and he didn't even show up! This wasn't fair! Oh, that Roy was going to wish he never messed with this girl!

"That...that..."

----

"Basterd!"

"Slam your fist in my desk again and you will have to repair the damage."

Lily had her eyes narrowed at the familiar black poof of hair. She was leaning over Roy's desk, her hands supporting her up. She fumed, looking at the face that had so many smug looks that it was hard to count how many. That cheeky little creep that tormented her so, ever since her first day of work. His ivory skin what shined with the sun, but never burned. Those lips...Lily shook her head away from those thoughts.

She kept her mind on the present,"I can do whatever I want, Mustang, ever since you chicken out on our match! You owe me for standing out that, looking like a fool! And it was your idea!"she pointed out.

He raised an eyebrow at her,"I didn't 'chicken out', Lily. I just happen to be called to an urgent matter and it had taken up all my time. And it's my idea so I can show up if I want to or not. At least you got your license for another year."

She hate to admit it but he was right. After the canceled fight, she had been given a new license to stay in the military. The catch was that she had to double up on her next year assesment. Now, she had to think of something she could do next year.

"That's not the point, Roy. You skipped out our fight and you should never do that to a girl!"she exclaimed

He let out a smug looking smirk,"You make it sound like I skipped out on our wedding and ran away with some common girl. You hurt me to think that I willingly skipped out on our little match,"

Lily was about to transmute that smirk on his face forever when Roy reach down and pulled something from his desk. Handing the rather thick folder, Lily leaned back and flipped through them. Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. These were the divorce papers and with Roy's handwriting no doubt! He actually signed them. She was free and can get her maiden name back.

She looked up,"I thought you said you wouldn't signed them."she said

His smile grew bigger and leaned back in the chair,"I said I would once you get your assesment done and you did, sort of. But have you forgotten the other part of our deal?" he asked

Lily's face fell, remembering how she pleaded for him to sign these papers unless...She sighed, if she wore a mini-skirt to work for a whole week. She wished she wasn't that desperate to agree to it. Now, she had to fulfill her end of the deal and probably have half or all the men in the military drooling over her or asking her out. She did feel better that she didn't have to wear it for a month or wearing something more revealing.

"I hope to see you tomorrow, Marshall, with a mini skirt on."Roy bid her good-bye.

Lily took her bag and divorce papers and walked towards the door. Before walking out, she mumbled something under her breath.

It seem Roy heard it,"What was that, Marshall?"

She placed a small smile and looked back at him."I said 'Good-bye, sir.'"she quickly made up before strolling out of the door and purposely slammed the door.

----

Author's Notes: Phew! Another chapter done. Yeah, yeah, I know I have delayed this chapter for a tad bit long then normal but I have a better excused. I. SUCK. AT. WRITING. FIGHTING. SCENES! Yes, I can't a decent fighting scene that was going to happen. I tried many times to make it really good but I had given up and was looking on something to help me. But, I thought of what Roy would do and this is it! He skipped out and made Lily seem foolish. Okay, I should stop down and let you guys know there are just two more chapters before well...Can I say, the beginning of a second arch of the story?

Anyway, please review!


	25. Envious Dreams

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Fullmetal Alchemists only a few selected characters.

Note: This is not beta'd. I lost her email address….

-----

Lily woke up from her slumber she felt the gentle rocking of her bed. She open her eyes one by one, excepting to hear and see Mary jumping on her bed in "urgent Roy news" or a bad dream but nothing but darkness. She sat up in her bed, her sleep already ruin now, curious as to what made her bed shake. Lily looked around her darken room, surprise to see Tobias' bed empty and not hearing the occasional busy car driving by. She slipped her feet into a pair of slippers resting on the floor. Something felt strange.

Lily didn't bother to place a robe over her wife beater shirt and pajama bottoms as she moved towards the door. The door was slightly ajar, with a dim light showing through. She pushed the door enough for her to slip through. Her living room was bare in the sense without Mary and Leo sleeping out there. What was stranger was that the grandfather clock hand's had stopped moving, all pointing to the number twelve.

"Mary? Leo? Tobias?" she called out, hoping for an answer.

There was none.

Lily knew this was strange beyond belief. She hurried towards the phone in the kitchen. Hopefully she could get in contact with someone, anyone. She picked up the device off it's receiver and brought it to her ear. Just as she reached with her hand to turn the numbers, a noise stopped her. There was none. No dial tone. The blond felt scared and slammed the phone back down. What was going on here? No friends? The clock not working? And no dial tone to speak of? Something was defiantly creepy and scary about this.

A red flash of light brought her out of her thoughts. Turning around quickly, she just saw the last flash of light dimming outside her window. She rushed forward towards the door, in hopes to find at least some life outside. She nearly ripped the door off it's hinges as she opened the door.

"No...it can't be..."she said in shock as she stared

All around her were signs of destruction everywhere. The buildings were nearly torn by some powerful force. No windows hanged it's the hollow of the buildings. Craters, small as cars, decorated the streets and something buildings. Large rocks sprouted from the ground, some even had stains of blood and flesh. Evidence of fires was seen as it's ashes blew through the end. The sky itself was something strange. It was blood red as black clouds hanged heavily. This was almost Hell itself.

Lily felt her breath quicken in fear as she stared at all the destruction around here. There was no signs of life from where she stood. Not even a stray cat walking around in search for a meal. She backed away, to go back into her home to end this nightmare. But as she took a step back, she felt her balance failing she fall to the ground. Her body hit blacken wood and hard concrete. She hissed in pain as her hand scraped against a rock. Lily brought her hand to her face to check for the damage but froze when she saw her hand covered in rich and fresh blood. There was no way a little cut could cause so much damage. She turn her head to find out where the blood came from.

Lily let out a scream as she saw the disfigured body of Leo, laying in his own blood. Parts of his skull was bashed in, a large stab wound all over his back, and his left arm completely torn off, the bone was still showing. Lily stumbled to get up from the ground. Upon standing up, she let out another cry as she saw more bodies on the ground. Mary, SHeska, and even Tobias. Each of them were extremely wounded as they lay dead in the pools of the their own blood.

"Oh, God!" she felt like she was going to vomit. She placed a her uninjured handed against her mouth to stop from retching over the place. She turn and ran with her might out of there. She had to get out of here and seek answers.

Lily found more and more bodies scattering around the streets and hanging out of buildings. Children, women, men, and even their pets were all dead. She remember their corpse never there before. As she ran, she felt sicker and sicker. She felt tears falling down her cheeks as she silently wept for every body around her. Her path was clear from any body. Her slipper caught onto a hole in the ground and once again, Lily fell forwards. On all fours, Lily felt the acid and nasty build being release over the street. She purposely cough to get rid of anything from her throat. The sound of footsteps brought Lily to the present. She turn her head up, a smile graced her mouth as she felt a bit at ease she stared at the all too familiar face.

"Oh, Roy," she reached up and grabbed the tails of his pants, "I'm so happy you see you right now. I have no idea what's going on and I'm...I'm scared, Roy! Everyone is dead. Mary, Leo, Sheska, and Tobias are all dead. I'm so relieved to see you right. We can go and find out what's goi-"

Lily was interrupted by Roy's cold voice, "Get your filthy hands off me, worm."

She was shocked to see the cold and unemotional expression from Roy. His black eyes stared at her with hate and disgust. "R-Roy?" she croaked out

Roy, without warning, kicked Lily across the face with his leg. She fell to the ground by the force of the impact, her hand loosing it's grip. She felt her left cheek pulsating by the intense pain and shock of the kick from Roy. Before Lily could open her mouth to ask what Roy was doing, she felt another swift kick her belly. Over and over again, Roy kicked her on all parts of her body, excluding her face. Once he was satisfied, Lily curled into a ball and sobbed out loud. Her body, both emotionally and physically, ached and hurt all over. A loud laugh and cruel filled the air, blocking out Lily's crying.

"Weak and pathetic, you are, girl. Can't even handle a few kicks. You humans are strange creatures. I don't even see why you even matter to the Master." remarked Roy with a cackle.

Lily lifted her head from the ground, her crying stopping. She stared at confusion at Roy. What was he talking about? What Master? There was no way Roy Mustang she knew would act like this. There was no way!

She went silent as the man in front of her seemed to change in appearance. Soon was gone the blue and golden trimmed military uniform, ebony locks, pale skin, and the face she knew, in replacement was an entirely new person. There stood a fairly tall man with lock dark green hair, dark purple eyes, matching outfit of the same color but was quite revealing. On his left outer thigh was a blood red tattoo of a snake eating itself and a six pentacle star.

He frown as he peered down at Lily. He lowered himself to her level, tilting her chin up. He moved her head side to side, as if inspecting her. "You sure look strangely like her. Not like that is going to matter anytime soon." he said before smirking at her.

He placed two fingers against her forehead. A small red glow surrounded his tips. "It's time for you to wake up now." he said before pushing his fingers into Lily's forehead. Everything around them slowly surrounded by darkness. The last thing Lily saw the green haired man smirking at her before everything disappeared.

------

Lily let out a large gasped and bolted straight up in her bed. Cold sweat dripped down from her pores on her body. She felt out a huge cough as she felt something heavy being lifted off her lungs. She wiped around wildly, excepting the twist green haired man to reappear. No, there was no sign of him. She was back in her own room with Tobias sleeping in his bed. There were the sounds of her snoring friends in the next room. Lily let out a sigh of relief as she realized that it was all a nightmare.

"Thank goodness." she whispered to herself

Lily moved back to go back to dream land but a horrible filled her body. It reappeared again when she twisted her body back up. She hissed as she lifted her shirt up. There on her belly was a dark blue bruise, six inches in length. She gulped as felt a chilly realization go down her spine.

What if the dream was real?

------

The hissing sound of the kettle brought Mary out from reading a magazine in her hand. The raven headed girl walked over to the stove, turning it off, pouring down the hot water from the metal container into a mug with dried up leaves. Smiling that it turn out great, Mary placed it on a tray full of food. There were a piece of blacken burnt toast, oatmeal that look all too soggy, and fresh squeezed orange juices that had pieces of the orange itself floating on the top.

Leo came around the corner, dressed in a business suit. He leaned against the counter as Mary made the finally touches on the platter. "So, our little flower still hasn't stroll out of her lair?" he asked his best friend.

Mary turn around, nodding her head, "Yeah and I'm getting worry about her. It's not like her to stay in late on week days," her eyes travel down Leo's outfit, "Going somewhere fancy, Mr. Lion?" she asked

He smiled, "I'm going for a job interview, actual several. All of them range from cook to book-keep! I still don't know what I will chose in the end," he sighed before coming serious, "You should go looking for a job too, you know. Don't want to spend your days living off Lily's money now do you?"

Mary smirked, "I'm an small business lady, Leo. I'm pretty much settle with the club and all it's glory," she picked up the tray from the table, "Well, good luck on your interviews. I will see you at lunch. As for right now, I'm going to act motherly to Lily." she said with a satisfied demeanor.

Mary kissed her blond friend on the cheek before strolling casually to Lily's room. Leo grimaced when he saw what type of food that Mary had cook up for their friend. He silently prayed that Lily wouldn't die from food poisoning. He took up a small briefcase he walked out of the house.

The young Lucas knocked on the door, hearing a soft 'Enter' from the other side. Turning the knob with her free hand, she walked into the bedroom. Inside was dark, the only light came from the lamp on the desk that Lily was sitting at. She had her shoulders slump, her head hanging low, hands keeping her head up, and what looked to be a open book in front of her.

Mary sat the tray of food next to her other blond friend and peered over her shoulder. Two pages worth of writing were filled on the open book, both with today's date. If she looked closely enough, Mary could make out water stains mixing with the ink. Shifting her body until her head was at the same length of her friend. Lily's skin was pale, almost pearly white. Her shoulders shook slightly as her hands kept gripping at her hairs. Mary felt a pain of hurt and pity as she gazed at her best friend.

"Lily? Are you alright?" she asked in a soft and smooth voice

Lily jumped in her seat at the sudden voice. Her hands went limp and release her strands of hair, they fell to her side. She turn her head, looking up at ebony haired woman. Mary let out a gasp she saw black circles under her eyes, red rimmed eyes, botchy skin, and shallow looking skin. She pulled up a chair and sat down next to her friend. Mary took one of Lily's hands into hers.

"Lily...What's wrong? It looks like you have been to hell and back." she commented

Not answering her question, Lily let tears run down her cheeks. With her other hand, she covered her face the best she could as her shoulders shook as she sobbed. Mary bit her lip, not knowing what to do. Right now, Lily acted much like she did when Viktor died. She wished Leo was here, he was more of a gentler type. He could probably sooth Lily just enough to talk. Her sobs dimmed down enough for Lily's voice to come through.

"I have no idea what to do, Mary. My life is a total wreck! Ever since Viktor died, everything is going down hill. I...I can handle remember who I was before I came to Central. I just want to run away from this place and never look back!" she yelled

Mary tucker the blonde's head under her chin, her hand rubbing up and down her back. "Shh, Lily, it's alright. Bad things happens to everyone, it's not your fault."

Lily pulled away, "No, I know some of it is my fault. It's hard to understand, even I don't understand, but my dreams...they are becoming more and more vivid. I sometimes see myself towering over Simon, who kidnapped Lexi, and slowly torturing and liking it. And this dream...It frightens me!"

"What dream?" Mary asked, something sinking into her stomach.

Lily pushed her dream journal, which as the open book on the table, towards the young woman. Taking it in her hands, Mary began to read six full pages of a description of one dream. By the time she was done, she too was pale and was in horror. Closing the book down, she tried to comfort Lily the best she could.

"Lily, honey, they are just dreams. Nothing that comes from dreams holds meanings in the real world. What you had was just a bad nightmare, probably caused from stress." she cooed

She shook her head, "That dream was all too real. I could feel broken concrete on my bare feet, the pain and stinginess of my cut scarping against the rocks, and even...being kicked by that strange man..."

Lily knew Mary won't believe her dreams were very real, she wasn't like that. She took a shaky breath and lifted her shirt up, showing her bare stomach. She could hear the loud gasp of shock from her raven haired friend when the navy blue bruise showed as clearly as day.

"Oh my God, Lily...This is serious! The man, in your dream, do you recognize him anywhere?" Mary asked

Again, Lily shook her head, "No, I don't...He said I look like _her. _He seem to know more about me then I did him. The dream was no normal dream for sure. For it to past into the real life means something..."

"Lily, the bruises is probably some else. It could've come from-"

Lily cut Mary off, as she stood up from the chair, "The wound came from the dream, Mary! If you can't believe...I don't know who I can tell this to..."

"I'm going to work." she added, already slipping into her uniform.

"Lily, wait!" Mary tried to pull Lily back from going out of her room.

Lily whirled around and face Mary with a serious face. She didn't know had over came her but words slipped passed her lips before she could stop herself. "Mary, promise me if I start acting not like myself, don't trust me..."

Before Mary could understand what she just said, Lily pulled herself from Mary's grip and walked out of her bedroom. Mary looked stunned and confused at her friend's words. Don't trust her if she acted strange? That was weird for anyone to say but it wasn't a joke either.

"Lily..."she whispered

----

Lily rested her head in her left hand as her right hand was slowly writing out an report. Normally, she hated doing reports that didn't involved her but right now, she was just writing down simple things, not caring if it involved the report itself or not. It seemed however, she finished up one report and placed it in the tray next to her. Before she could reach over and grab a new one, a hand picked up the all ready filled out one. The hand in question had eyes as well, also a body, and read what Lily had written.

"Do you care to explain to me, Marshall, how you think your...report is passable when it mentions giant bunny rabbits?" a voice over her barked

Lily sighed and turn her head to looked up at the tall figure beside her. "Whatever, Roy...I can just go do it again," she said, reaching up the take the report back but Roy placed it behind his back before she could.

"No, Marshall, you won't. You usually just throw an insult at me and go on with your life. Your face is whiter then a sheet." Roy pointed out

"I'm just not in the mood, Roy. I have a headache." she said, making up excuses

Roy mumbled something under his breath and reached forward and grabbed Lily by the arm. He pulled her out of her seat and as soon Lily recovered by his surprise action, the Flame Alchemist pulled her behind him and out into the hallway. All eyes in the office were on them as the door shut and let the two alone.

Lily was in shock when Roy had brought them out into the empty hallway but was more surprise when she looked into his eyes, it was a look of worry and concern. She watched as Roy let go of her arm and used the same hand to brush back a piece of hair from his face. What seem like an eternity, he spoke.

"There has to be a reasonable, better reason why you act like your dying then just...just a headache!" he exclaimed, controlling much of his anger.

Lily sighed and looked away for a moment and looked back, lowering her head and replied with a meek voice. "And what if I am. What if I'm telling you the truth, that I have a headache? It does not mean you have to drag me away from my work like that. It's not like you care about me, your just worry about your underdogs not able to finish their own work. A polite request would suffice. Now, if you excuse me, I have some reports to fill out."

Lily turned around and was about to turn the door knob to open the door. Just as the open slightly, it was pushed back to a close position. She looked up and saw a hand right near her head. Turning back around, she did react to see Roy standing close to her, she could smell his musky and spicy cologne from where she stood.

"Do you actually think I'm that selfish, Lily? That I won't give a damn of one of my 'underdogs' being harmed or not? Do you really think less of me? Don't be so damned foolish, girl," he leaned forward his mouth near her ear, "I risked my life trying to save you from a potential killer. I held you when Viktor died, letting you cry and weep. And this is how you treat me, Lillian? Before Viktor died, he asked...No, order me to take care of you with all costs. I've never fulfilled his request if I didn't care about you. Now, tell me why your acting so different then normal." he said, removing his face from near hers but didn't move despite that.

It seemed Roy's words effected Lily like that should. In a blink of an eye, it was like life came back into her eyes. Regardless of being alive again, her eyes spoke of much sadness and extreme worry. She hugged herself around the middle and continue to looked down, ashamed.

"I...I can't tell you, Roy. Y-you won't understand." she stuttered out, fear in her voice.

Roy couldn't help but notice the way her voice tremble. Whatever was happening in her life was effecting her badly. "Try me."

Her arms tighten around her waist, wincing from the pain of the giant bruise on her stomach. Once again, the Colonel took notice. He dropped his hand from the wooden door and moved to her arms. Lily didn't move or speak when he softly grabbed both her arms and let them dropped before placing his hand hard on her stomach. She flinched and gasped in pain. He slowly lifted the bottom half of her military uniform, stopping at her bare stomach. What he saw made his black eyes be filled with anger. Not at the poor girl in front of him but angry at the one who caused it.

"Who did this to you?" he whispered, lowering the uniform back down.

She shook her head, tears threaten to spill over. "I don't know who or even what, Roy. I thought I was safe but that...that dream! Oh, God, that dream. It felt so real and was so horrifying." she wept.

"What happen, Lily?"

"I don't want to say, Roy. I have involved you too much into my life, you don't need to be involved in my dreams." she said before moving from him.

Roy turn around to face her and saw she was thinking something over. Once her decisions was made finale, she stepped forward, their bodies almost touching. Reaching up, she placed a kiss on the ebony haired man's lips. She pulled back, leaving him with his mouth slightly open in shock.

"Thank you, Roy, but there are some things I need to think over before I let you go into my life that far. My dreams always mean something to me and I can't help but feel protected of them. I'm sorry." she whispered

Without a warning, Lily walked away from her higher up, her arms at her sides. Roy stood there stunned as he watched her retreating form. Something, deep in his stomach turned cold and warned him that he wouldn't see her again. He reached with a gloved hand and touched his lips. Through under the heavy cloth, he could feel the warm tingling of Lily's pressed against his.

Something was going on and he didn't like it.

-----

Lily was luckily to find the house empty, Mary and Leo had gone off somewhere. She now sat at her desk, much like she was that morning. She had quickly changed out of her uniform and into simple and causal clothing. She didn't want to face Roy after their conversation and kissing him on the lips. She didn't regret doing that but did regret not telling him about her dream. What she said was true, her dreams meant something to her and couldn't tell everyone about them.

The blond sighed, looking around her room to find something to occupy herself. She didn't need to rethink back to their conversation for awhile. Her eyes landed on the dresser, more on the giant black book lying on top of it. That damn book that couldn't open, no matter how much she tried. It belonged to her mother and meant something important to her and her daughter. If Lily could open it, she could find out what was inside it that her mother treasure.

"One way to do that is try again," she said to herself, getting up and grabbing the book again.

She planted herself back in her seat, staring at the thick and mysterious book. She looked from back to cover, looking for a secret compartment or something that could reveal how to open it. After ten minutes of looking, she let out another sigh in frustration. Lily rested her head on her open palm, staring at the book in hopes for a once of inspiration to open the blasted thing. Her blue eyes widen when she finally notice something, though very small, in the upper right hand corner. She swore she never seen that before. Her breath hitched when she saw what is was. It was the same marking from the guy in her dream, though only this time there was a five mental star in the middle of the snake. Straighten in her chair, she reached with her hand towards the symbol. She didn't know what compelled her but her finger lazily traces the outline of the snake.

In a flash of red light, she heard a lock click open. She watched with amazement when the book opened up by itself. The pages were yellow and old but looked fresh. On these said pages were writings in red ink. It looked like a journal from the looks of it. But there was hardly any dates or names of who it belonged to. Taking a deep breath, Lily looked around the room. It was empty and the door was locked. She had some privacy in her room, if only for a moment.

She turned her attention back to the journal and began to read at the beginning.

----

Mary sighed in relief as she stepped back in her "home". She carried some bags of groceries and set them on the counter in the kitchen. She notice Lily's briefcase and boots by the door. She frown, Lily wasn't suppose to be home for hours. With a huff, Mary walked over to the door and knocked on the frame.

"Lily? Are you home? Are you sick?" she called out, hoping no to repeat the mornings performance.

Lily's voice sounded but cleared and better, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just didn't feel well so I asked Roy to let me take the day off." she answered backed

Mary smiled and called out again, "Want me to make you some soup, sweetie?"

"No, thank you, Mary. I don't think I can handle something right now. I think I will go to sleep now and see you in the morning." Was the answered.

Mary nodded through Lily couldn't see. "Okay, Lily. If you need anything, just ask." she said before finally retreating from the door.

However inside, Lily was totally different from what her voice portrayed. She sat there at her desk, shaking and her heart racing as she stared at the finale page of the book. She couldn't believe what she just read. Could it be true? Was the book just a ploy to scare her? No, it had to be true, it just had to! It explain so much, despite sounding so unreal.

Lily looked around her room, her heart pounding in her ears. She looked at an old photo of her, Mary, and Leo as little kids that sat on her desk. Taking the photo in hand, tears rolled down her face as she stared at the perfectly happy picture of all of them. Salty tears fell on the glass shield of the portrait.

With a weak voice, barely a whisper, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." she repeated.

----

The next morning was peaceful in the office of Mustang and the rest. The only sounds coming from the room were the sounds of the clock ticked and pens scratching across paper. Roy put down the folder he was reading and looked at the empty desk of Lily. She had yet to come in all day, not even a phone call, and he was getting worried. He hoped their conversation didn't scare her off. He wanted to tell her so much more.

But as soon as he thought this, the peace in the office was destroyed when it's office fell to the ground. Everyone looked up and were surprised to see Mary Lucas putting down the leg that obviously kicked down the door. With a huff, the blacked haired beauty stormed over the fallen door, with Leo at her heels, to Roy's desk. Her normally green eyes were filled with anger, confusion, and concern. She glared down at Roy, something clutched in her hand.

With her other hand, she pointed an accusing finger at her once beloved idol. "You! You have a lot of explaining to do!" she barked

Roy raised an eyebrow, "I'm sorry but I have no idea what you are talking about, Miss Lucas." he admitted

Mary frowned and thrust him the object in her hand. It was a letter, though it looked like several tears mixed in with the ink. Roy recognize that handwriting anywhere. It was Lily's. Before he could it, Mary pulled out something from her pocket and threw it at his desk. He looked down and saw the familiar silver pocket watched that the military gave out to their alchemist. Why would Mary had one?

As if answering his mental question, Mary spoke. "Just read the god damn letter."

Roy looked around the room, all of them looking in interest at the contents of the said letter. He turned his dark eyes to the letter n hand.

_Dear Mary, Leo, and anyone else._

_I'm sorry. There is something I have to do and I have to do it alone. I don't know how long it will take but I just know I can't rest until I learn the truth. My eyes are heavy from tears but I can't cry. I can't cry anymore, I have been crying too much now. I have unofficial resigned from the military, the left behind pocket watch proves it. Please don't look for me, I hate for you to be involved. I know how to take care of myself, so don't fret. Please take care of Tobias, Mary and Leo. That's all I can say right now. I'm sorry._

_Signed,_

_Lillian Anne Marshall, The Crimson Petal Alchemist._

Roy looked flabbergasted as he finished Lily's farewell letter. He leaned back in his chair, unable to take in the news. Lily had left them. She left her friends, she left her job, and she left him. The tear stains weren't from Lily but from Mary and Leo.

"What did you do to her, Roy? She wouldn't get up and leave without telling us where she is going. You must've done something to her." she said, accusing him of her friend's disappearance.

Roy felt numbed, no words would describe nothing else. He felt his heart ache in sadness and a cold feeling wash over him. "I...I have no idea, Mary...I don't know why she left..."he said weakly.

Mary huffed and placed her hands on her hips. "Regardless if it's your fault or not, it's your responsibility as her boss and higher superior to look after her. I don't care what you do but you have to find her, "tears began to travel down hr cheeks, "Find her so she can be with us again."

Roy knew she was right. As a duty as a high superior on Lily, or any other lower personal, it was his duty to take care of them. He sighed and tried to regain composer. He closed his eyes fro a brief moment before snapping open with a new resolve. He stood up from his desk and looked at each men or woman he had.

"Alright, inform every department of this. This is now our top priority. We are not to let Lily Marshall get away from us, you hear me?"

"Yes, sir!" everyone chorused before doing whatever they needed to do.

_----_

Lily sighed, taking in the finale sights of the Central station. Carrying only one bag, she walked towards her designed train. She stepped on board, the last one to get up. She let out a loud sigh and looked back behind her. She struggle with herself to not to cry.

"I'm sorry, everyone. This is my good-bye..."she whispered to herself before stepping fully on board and disappearing from view.

As the train chugged along, steam and smoke blowing out, a pair of eyes looked at the slowly retreating train. The pair of eyes smirked from it's shadows.

"All going to plan." it spoke in a dark and menacing voice and too disappeared into the shadows once the train disappeared from view.

----

Author note's: Woot! I love this chapter, don't you? Lily is having strange dreams, she kissed Roy willingly, and she just left the grand old city. Oh, boy, this took a whole to get up, right? Well, I hate to bore you but there were some things going on in my life that distracted me. Mostly because I just had a move and needed a new computer. Whatever. But, I'm still writing for this story, no matter what. And don't worry, this isn't the end of the story either. It's a new chapter, excuse the pun, in Lily's life.

Anyway, please, please, pretty please review!


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